by Chris Johanson (Artist), Jenny Gheith (Text by (Art/Photo Books))
New paintings on recycled canvas by a protagonist of San Francisco's Mission School
California-born, Portland-based artist Chris Johanson (born 1968) has made a significant departure from his previous bodies of work over the past five years. Reflecting on life and the material footprint that humans leave behind, he has abandoned wood substrates for discarded drop cloths and clothing stretched over found stretcher-bar materials, creating slow and meticulous paintings reminiscent of ancient frescoes or mandalas. This fully illustrated exhibition catalog highlights these latest works, with subject matter ranging from swirling abstractions to floating emotive heads to armies of ants. Johanson also incorporates six artworks by his late friend and fellow artist Chris Corales and a collaborative furniture piece by the artist and his partner, Johanna Jackson. This underscores the artist's exploration of both bereavement and collaboration as meaningful components of meditative and balanced artistic activity.