New "Houses" Abstract Painting Series

In 2022, the shapes of houses emerged in my paintings. Although I did not intentionally depict houses, the combination of triangle and rectangle shapes in my artwork created a resemblance. The first instance of this house-like shape appeared in a piece titled "The Pink House Down The Road,” (see figure 1 below) and since then, it has persistently manifested in my subsequent paintings. This recurring theme may be attributed to the constant construction happening in the area where I reside, as houses are being erected all around me. Once I acknowledged and embraced the presence of houses in my artwork, I intentionally incorporated them into my paintings, resulting in a landscape-like composition. The lower third of the paintings features solid, weighty shapes, while the top portion showcases more atmospheric and loosely painted strokes. Embracing the "Houses" theme, I have created several mixed media works that prominently feature houses. These artworks have been produced using an "automatic" drawing technique. The process begins with a swift charcoal sketch, where marks are made spontaneously without any intentional depiction of a subject. In the subsequent step, color is introduced by applying two or three paint colors, along with gesso and acrylic medium, across the surface of the drawings using a trowel. Lastly, the image is further enhanced with pencil, incorporating distinctive features of the “House”.

The new artworks are now available as prints on my website. See more of the Abstract Painting Series "Houses" at wkjart.com

W. K. Johnson Houses Series Abstract Painting

Figure 1 “The Pink House Down The Road” 38” x 38”

Acrylic on canvas, framed.