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PRIVATE RHYTHM

Calvin Charles Gallery

Scottsdale, Arizona

Opening night: 14 January Twenty Ten





In a dress, a black silk dress, artist: Catherine L. Jo/hnson






PRESS RELEASE:

CALVIN CHARLES GALLERY

PRIVATE
RHYTHM- an
exhibition of the work of Catherine L. Johnson.

14 January to 10 February Twenty Ten



The
paintings and drawings in the exhibition date from 1998 to the present. Rather than presenting the works
chronologically, the artist has designed the installation as a sonic re-mix to
slowly reveal the interplay of themes unify her oeuvre, despite its visual
diversity. At its core, Johnson's art
probes what is invisible but, nonetheless,
real: that which we know because it is experienced and felt instinctively, with
the essence of our being. Wonder,
awe, and grace are what motivate the artist, and are key descriptors of the
resultant work. Her work is breath.




As the title
of the exhibition suggests, music-particularly jazz-is a constant source of
inspiration for Johnson. She views her
creative process as a form of performance, responding to the variety of events,
both large and small, that comprise daily life.
The artist is a "conductor and a composer at once". She describes her
creative process as improvisational, sacred, a "dive into prayer" and a
spiritual shout. She hopes the work will serve as a call that elicits response
from the viewer, continuing theperformance and eventually yielding an epiphany
of shared human experience. Her abstract
works, such as those in this exhibition from the "Touchstone" 2007 , "MERCY
MERCY MERCY" 2008 and "PRIVATE
RHYTHM" 2009 series, most readily display her affinity for music, with
their reliance on swing, the rhythmic repetition of gestural marks.




Nature,
Johnson's other muse, is more readily apparent.
The works in her "Pine Tree" series, which has been ongoing for more
than a decade, rely on the visual grace of the pine as it connects heaven and
earth with symmetry and balance.
Combined with its ability to endure extremes in wind and weather, for
Johnson the pine serves as a metaphor for the human capacity for
endurance.





The "Chandelier Drawings"
2006 similarly take on metaphoric weight in Johnson's work. Elegant, but ultimately utilitarian, these
light fixtures radiate grace and energy.
The artist's use of quick line underscores their literal and
metaphorical flickering between device and illumination, elegance and
transcendence.





Johnson's "Halo" series, begun in 2003, similarly explores the fine line between reality and metaphor.The golden circle of a halo is familiar from
centuries of Christian art. Yet this
simple golden circle is not a real object.
Rather, it symbolizes holiness in the person over whom it hovers. Its golden gleam symbolizes the inner light
of one touched by God. And not just in
Western culture: Johnson is quick to
point out that the unbroken circle is a sign of spiritual purity in Eastern
religions as well. Again, the interplay
of metaphor and reality elicits a more profound sense of truth, Johnson's true
quest.




The works in her "HEARTFIRE" series brings
Johnson's probing of the line between symbolism and experience full
circle. Begun in 1998, the works in this
series seem to radiate light. Each
reveals itself differently at various times, depending on the light and
environment in which it is seen and is, therefore, never the same painting
twice. It unfolds over time, in dialogue
with the viewer. Not a depiction of
some external scene, each nonetheless elicits recognizable feelings of
transcendence and truth.





Johnson's current exploration is titled "PRIVATE RHYTHM" 2009. The
work is an unfolding gospel sung as an impassioned symphony- an opera with
individual movements, acts and charts. The "PRIVATE RHYTHM" series is a confluence
echoing Paleolithic cave paintings found within mountains and medieval art
works found within cathedrals, a beating heart and the electronic beats of a
pop/alternative dance chart. The rhythmically drawn figure 8 is the visual
center referring to infinity, a call returned by response and the breath of
divine energy.





A native of Minnesota, Johnson
attended Macalester College, in St. Paul, and the University of Minnesota before
completing a BFA at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Minneapolis. She went on to pursue graduate studies at the
Tyler School of Art at Temple University, in Philadelphia, and earned
a MFA from Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the
Arts. She has been the recipient of numerous prestigious grants and awards,
including a Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship and a P.S. 1 International Studio
Residency based in New York City. Johnson's work is in prominent corporate
collections nationwide, including those of Target Corporation, St. Paul Travelers, The
Center for International Health, Dakota Jazz Club and Restaurant and First
Credit Bank, Los Angeles. Her work
can also be found in private collections throughout the United States and Europe. Her work is chosen for its slow and sudden
revelation of serene and startling beauty.















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Artist

Red Sea Crossing: Blood Memoirs 1995 #1
CATHERINEfALL2011ARTist
Resurrection (The Holtkotter Project) 1996
My Mother's Garden 1997 and 2006
Breath 1997
Pine Tree: An Appeal to Heaven 1998
Pure River 1999
Pure River Triptych 1999
11 September 2001- one of four original works
Pine Tree: Te Deum 2002
The Matteson Suites: Wilderness Songs 2002 #1
Halo: The Prayer Wheel 2003
Waterfall 2003-2004 #1
Waterfall 2003-2004 #2
Florals/Bloom Series 2004- present
Pine Tree: INFINITY 2004
HEARTFIRE triptych
Pine Tree: HOPE 2005
The Gold River 2006 #1
BEHOLD: Laurel 2006 #1
The Chandelier Drawings 2006 #1
The Chandelier Drawings 2006 #4
The Chandelier Drawings 2006 #8
Halo: Circle (black on red) 2007
Halo: Circle 2007
IRIS: Ocean 2007
Touchstone: The Water Chants 2007-08
Mercy Mercy Mercy Drawings #7 2008
Mercy Mercy Mercy Drawings #8 2008
Tabula Rasa: The Dance Suites triptych 2008
CRaDLE. WiNG. ShiP. 2009 #2
Crescent. Water. Moon. 2009 #1
Break: OPEN 2009 triptych - Panel I
Break: OPEN 2009 triptych - Panel II
Break: OPEN 2009 triptych - Panel III
LOVE LOVE LOVE FEAR 2009
LEAVE ME NOW #12 2009
RISE ME #6 2009
MILK + HONEY #1 2009
PRIVATE RHYTHM: BEAUTIFUL FORTITUDE 2009
PRIVATE RHYTHM: BEAUTY IS DIVINE IS BEAUTY 2009
PRIVATE RHYTHM: TOUCH 2009
PRIVATE RHYTHM: YOUREXHALEMYINHALEYOUR 2009
PRIVATE RHYTHM: MY THROAT SINGING YOU 2009
PRIVATE RHYTHM: MOVING GRACE 2009
Calvin Charles Gallery Show Announcement
PRIVATE RHYTHM opening Calvin Charles Gallery 14 January Twenty Ten
SPARROW #1 2010
SPARROW #8 2010
SPARROW #9 2010
SPARROW FLY HAPPY FLY 20TEN Pinocchio's story
NEST: THERE IS MORE FOR YOU #1 2010
NEST: FOR YOU THERE IS HEAVENLY BLISS AND SONG #2
NEST: FOR YOU MY GIFT IS NOT HIDING FOR ME #6 2010
NEST: FOR YOU SLOWLY COME NEAR MY HEART FOR ME #7 2010
NEST: THE MORNING LIGHT FINDS YOU BEAUTIFUL THERE #8 2010
NEST: FOR YOU A LULLABY #9 2010
NEST: FOR YOU MY TRUTH IS MY WING FOR ME #10 2010
MISSISSIPPI RIVER CHALLENGE 20TEN PADDLER'S PREMIUM SPARROW 2010 PRINTS
ST. PAUL'S SPRING ART CRAWL 23-25 APRIL 2010
ARTISTBREATHINGWINGS
LOTUS 20TEN, a cycle of sixteen works
UNVEIL truth/TRUTH unveil
BLACKBIRD: WING 20TEN
AT NIGHT I FEEL YOUR WINGS MAJESTY BLACKBIRD: WING 20TEN
RISING I BELIEVE IN YOU YOU ARE NOT FALLING YOU ARE RISING YOU ARE RISING RISING RISING 20TEN
Pine Tree: Moon RAPTURES 2010
I WISH I KNEW 2011
EGYPT 11 FEBRUARY 2011
Pine Tree: ROSE 2011
JAPAN/MEDITATION 2011
HurricaneRAPTURElantern ART/SOUND INSTALLATION 2011
rOses 2011
BODY & SOUL / SOUL & BODY 2011
Pine Tree: BODY & SOUL 2011