David Johnson, A-V 1, Watercolor and Collage on Paper, 11 X 15"

Watercolor and Collage on Paper, 11 X 15"

For this diptych, Dave is playing with the phenomenon of Averted Vision - a way of looking, mostly deployed in astronomical viewing - that involves looking at an object through one's peripheral vision. 

I hope that, with these paired paintings, when you're looking at one side, your peripheral vision will take in something, some essence or a flare of a sparkle from the other side. Your bain takes it in in a different way. -DJ 

The deep inspiration from these extraordinary paintings harkens back to an Earth Science class Dave took while an art student:

"I took an Earth science class, which was great. They took us camping overnight up the Owens Valley to sleep under the stars. It just kind of felt like an opening up - I had to figure out how to make a living with art, but I hadn't yet. I wasn't quite giving up. But I was also learning there are other paths, like maybe I would be, I don't know, go be a ranger or something. The way that the Earth science class was taught was really just so engaging.

In this wonderful diptych the left side panel is a nod to Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell's heavy forms, and echoing that, on the right, is a blackbird in flight.