BLACK LINE FINE ART

Artist Dan Johnson

 

Biographical Information

I was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa, and lived in the Midwest for most of my life. I moved to Burbank, California in 2021. I am married and have four children, ages 16 to 24. My previous education includes a BA and MA in English from Iowa State University. I also hold an MFA from ISU. I am a college-level professor as well as a freelance artist.   

Artist Statement

 

My current work relates to my broader theme of the possibilities of change and transformation as expressed through the human figure. My work focuses on exploring transformative or fugitive ideas about the human figure. Using line, I want to discover the energy possible through gesture and improvisation. My work of the past few years has also focused on using layering and reductive processes to discover new textures and effects, and then drawing forms again on those new surfaces.

 

My work displayed relates to past work by using similar methods and ideas but also builds on those by altering the surface textures and the spontaneously created subject matter. Inspiration is drawn from memory and relates to the human figure, natural objects like rocks and trees, and also man-made structures like buildings. Line is very important to my work, stressing the expressive qualities possible when drawing from memory. 

 

 

Overall, my focus is beginning to shift away from exploring the figure and more towards exploring memory, where objects are discovered or rediscovered and then combined in new ways.