Loosely Grounded
The structure of real places, pulled into abstraction until only the tension between the two remains.
View the workWork
Selected paintings“If you know what you want to do and you do it, that’s the work of a craftsman. If you begin with a question and use it to guide an adventure of discovery, that’s the work of the artist.”
“The creative process lies not in imitating, but in paralleling nature; translating the impulse received from nature into the medium of expression, thus vitalizing this medium. The picture should be alive, the statue should be alive and every work of art should be alive.”
Statement
On the work
I am a self-taught painter, and my work is an attempt to capture the experiences and emotions that words fall short of. I have found these experiences to be double-edged and paradoxical in a way that mirrors the natural world: order and chaos, light and shadow, contraction and expansion. I will never fully capture what these things mean, but my paintings are an invitation to experience what that might look like.
The work lives in paradox, two truths held in tension. Most of us want a green light or a red one, because it is comfortable and gives a clear answer. Honest work happens at the yellow light, the messy grey area in between. Staying there takes a different kind of skill. It asks me to stop, step out of analysis, and drop into the present moment, which is rarely my first instinct.
My paintings are built from layers of failed marks that somehow come together. I leave those marks, and sometimes uncover old layers, because it invites the viewer into the process. The work isn’t polished, crisp, or clean. It’s messy, real, and authentic. When I look at a painting, I don’t want to be told what to feel. I would rather be invited in.
In a world where truth is hard to find, abstraction feels honest. My goal as an artist is to keep showing up, make work I believe in, and do it to the best of my ability.
Gabe Johnson
About
The artistGabe comes from an eclectic background, with formal training in theology, psychology, kinesiology, and finance. He currently works as an electrician in the Pacific Northwest and finds time to unplug and paint when he can. As an electrician, being present is what keeps him alive. In the studio, it’s the same: to make anything he feels is good, he has to be fully present. Music helps him get there, and his studio playlist runs from classical to heavy metal and everything in between.
Contact
Details