Clare Johnson
Encyclopedia
Clare Johnson is an American
writer and artist from Seattle, Washington.
Her work deals with the parallel themes of memory and loss.
, Providence, USA, Slade School of Fine Art
, London, England and Central St Martins College of Art and Design, London, England her intricate ink drawings deal obsessively with the frontier between solitude and loneliness, comfort and disconsolation. The work was originally inspired by imagery from nightly drawings on post-it notes. Johnson's drawings have been described as "intimate both in content and nature. Exploring personal illness and anxieties, her work is much more than art therapy, but a delicate, illustrative analysis of vulnerability, fear and the looming dangers of life both physical and metaphorical."
Johnson's paintings are exhibited on unframed, stretched canvas, which, by avoiding the smug completeness of a frame, reminds the viewer that pictures miss as much as they reveal. On the subject of painting, she writes "I object to the belief that a painting should always be a statement about painting itself. If one has to extract such a statement from my paintings, it would be simply that paintings should relate to something significant about life, something worth spending that time on. They should be for anyone - for an unrestricted potential audience, rather than an elite group of experts."
She has won numerous awards for both her art and her writing, including the Michael S. Harper Poetry Prize in 2004. She has been published in Blithe House Quarterly and Cranky Literary Journal, for which she was briefly an assistant editor. Her artwork has been exhibited at Lauderdale House
, the Jerwood Space and The Bargehouse Gallery in London. Johnson's 35 drawing piece, My Parents Told Me to Stay Calm, which formed part of the Deep Inspiration benefit for Asthma UK in 2007 received special mention by the organisers, including Gavin Turk
.
In 2009, exhibitions include the Oxford Contemporary at Ovada (7 February to 21 March 2009) and Will I Live Here When I Grow Up? a solo show at The North Wall Gallery, Oxford (11 - 29 May 2009).
Johnson discussed how contemporary music has informed her writing in a talk for the University of Cambridge
Festival of Ideas at Kettle's Yard
, in November 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and artist from Seattle, Washington.
Her work deals with the parallel themes of memory and loss.
Art
Technically trained at Brown UniversityBrown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Providence, USA, Slade School of Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art
The Slade School of Fine Art is a world-renownedart school in London, United Kingdom, and a department of University College London...
, London, England and Central St Martins College of Art and Design, London, England her intricate ink drawings deal obsessively with the frontier between solitude and loneliness, comfort and disconsolation. The work was originally inspired by imagery from nightly drawings on post-it notes. Johnson's drawings have been described as "intimate both in content and nature. Exploring personal illness and anxieties, her work is much more than art therapy, but a delicate, illustrative analysis of vulnerability, fear and the looming dangers of life both physical and metaphorical."
Johnson's paintings are exhibited on unframed, stretched canvas, which, by avoiding the smug completeness of a frame, reminds the viewer that pictures miss as much as they reveal. On the subject of painting, she writes "I object to the belief that a painting should always be a statement about painting itself. If one has to extract such a statement from my paintings, it would be simply that paintings should relate to something significant about life, something worth spending that time on. They should be for anyone - for an unrestricted potential audience, rather than an elite group of experts."
She has won numerous awards for both her art and her writing, including the Michael S. Harper Poetry Prize in 2004. She has been published in Blithe House Quarterly and Cranky Literary Journal, for which she was briefly an assistant editor. Her artwork has been exhibited at Lauderdale House
Lauderdale House
Lauderdale House is an arts and education centre based in Waterlow Park, Highgate in north London, England. As an arts centre, it runs an extensive programme of performances, workshops, outreach projects and exhibitions....
, the Jerwood Space and The Bargehouse Gallery in London. Johnson's 35 drawing piece, My Parents Told Me to Stay Calm, which formed part of the Deep Inspiration benefit for Asthma UK in 2007 received special mention by the organisers, including Gavin Turk
Gavin Turk
Gavin Turk is a British artist and one of the Young British Artists . He often uses his own image in life-size sculptures of famous people.-Life and work:...
.
In 2009, exhibitions include the Oxford Contemporary at Ovada (7 February to 21 March 2009) and Will I Live Here When I Grow Up? a solo show at The North Wall Gallery, Oxford (11 - 29 May 2009).
Johnson discussed how contemporary music has informed her writing in a talk for the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
Festival of Ideas at Kettle's Yard
Kettle's Yard
Kettle's Yard is an art gallery and house in Cambridge, England.- History and overview :Kettle's Yard was originally the Cambridge home of Jim Ede and his wife Helen. Moving to Cambridge in 1956, they converted four small cottages into one idiosyncratic house and a place to display Ede's collection...
, in November 2008.