Constructions and Fabrications

Sculptures by Carl Johnson

August 3rd - August 28th, 2010

Artist’s reception: Thursday, August 5th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Artist’s Bio/Statement:

I received a B.A. in art from St. Cloud State College in the mid-1960s,
during the height of the Abstract Expressionism movement, and my works
continue to reflect that style. Later I earned K-12 teaching certification
and M.A, credits from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, where I
discovered the powerful and exciting wood and fabric pieces of Italian
artist Alberto Burri. I began making pieces using these materials and later
began adding others such as beads, buttons, marbles, lathe-turned wood
parts, drawer pulls, packing foam, cardboard, felt insulation, cement nails,
barbed wire, rusty metal, wax, sand and various “found” objects.

By combining common objects and materials in unconventional ways, I attempt
to create exciting pieces rich in color and texture.  They are sometimes
dark and mysterious, sometimes light and whimsical, and always a little
mysterious. My pieces do not preach, but rather invite viewers to interact
and reach conclusions based on their own personal experiences.

My works have been featured at one-man exhibitions at Ridgewater College in
Willmar Minnesota and the downtown Minneapolis Skyway, at a two-man
exhibition at the McRostie Gallery in Grand Rapids and at the 2008 Minnesota
State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition.