For the
past fourteen years I have been exploring the art medium Oilbar,
a "crayon" made from linseed oil, pigment, and wax.
This oil paint crayon can produce the linear texture of drawing
materials or the juicy quality of oil paint. With my color saturated
drawings/paintings, I explore such themes as life's pathways,
the flow of time, and human relationships.
Abstracted to their basic
shapes, my art works become bold color-blocked landscapes,
shadowy patterns suggesting a human presence, or vibrant and
rhythmic still lives. Trees, images "windowed" within
images, shadows and colors are used to go beyond a simple
landscape to suggest human interactions, emotions, and reactions.
For many years I was an
art instructor at Oregon State University, Linn-Benton Community
College, and in public schools through the Artists in Education
Program. My work has been shown and sold in over 75 exhibitions
since 1970 and can currently be seen at Waterstone Gallery
in Portland where I am the featured artist this October, the
Freed Gallery in Lincoln City and Pegasus Gallery in Corvallis
as well as at the website www.waterstonegallery.com.
Susan Johnson 541-753-6968
