ARTWORK EXHIBITED IN JURIED COMPETITIONS:
"Jesus at Market" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved. |
"Demolition 5" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved.
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10.10.2009 Digital photograph by Lena Johnson entitled "Jesus at Market" accepted into "One Foot Show" at Museum of the Living Artist, San Diego Art Institute (Juror: Alessandra Moctezuma, Assistant Professor of Art and Art Gallery Director at San Diego Mesa College)
Lena says: "This photograph is one of many that I have taken at the Chicano Park Festival that takes place every year under the Coronado Bridge. In this work, I wanted to express the irony of our contemporary society by capturing this market scene of a statue of Jesus alongside colorful wrestling masks. Here we see Jesus, as a global symbol of peace and love side by side with a symbol of violence. Professional wrestlers, donning these spandex masks and sporting outrageous names have been Mexico's unifying entertainment since the 1930s. The wrestling mask is considered sacred, so much so that the intentional removal of a mask is grounds for disqualification. Most masked wrestlers wear their masks for any and all public appearances to keep their personal life separate from their professional life." |
08.15.2009 Limited Edition Digitally Altered Photo by Lena Johnson entitled "Demolition 5" accepted into "Art of Transitions" show at the San Diego Art Department in North Park Art District of San Diego. (Juror: Kevin Freitas)
Lena's statement about the piece: “The Demolition Series is an attempt to locate order and beauty in activities of destruction that are deemed by society to be unclean, unsafe and/or ugly. Decades of planning, design and construction and the original dreams that created a structure are blown up or bulldozed in a few hours. There is a small window of time to photograph and the scene changes hourly as the debris is carried off to the landfill. In this series, I wanted to celebrate the spirit of the building. To show it's intimate parts and pieces that were the manifestation of a former vision and unknown to the observer when viewed simply as a 'building.' It seems so senseless that we treat our buildings like this is America. In other countries, buildings stand for centuries and are respected. In America, we seem to have no respect for buildings after they have served their 40 year depreciation cycle. Thus, this series pays homage to the former building that stood and served society for so many years.
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"Still Life with Bubble Wrap" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved.
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09.04.2009 Limited Edition Digitally Altered Photo by Lena Johnson entitled "Still Life with Bubble Wrap" accepted into "Outstanding Visual Artists" of the Region Show at Museum of the Living Artist, San Diego Art Institute
Lena states, “In this work of art, I have combined the age-old traditional concept of the still life with modern digital imaging techniques. With the advent of the computer age, the boundaries of the traditional still life have been exploded and redefined. I staged and photographed mundane, contemporary inanimate objects: a rolled up sheet of common bubble wrap and birch plywood panels. I manipulated the photograph with digital imaging techniques plus a digital painting overlay in order to produce an abstraction of commonplace reality while maintaining the still life concept. This piece is a representation of our modern day world: the conglomeration of old and new with a sense of reality that is constantly changing due to the introduction and assimilation of new technologies and materials into our culture.”
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"Bursting Cloud" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved.
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"Idaho Farm Memories" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved.
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07.20.2009 Original artwork (mixed media) by Lena Johnson entitled "Bursting Cloud" accepted into "One Foot Show" at Museum of the Living Artist, San Diego Art Institute (Juror: John Marciari, Curator of San Diego Museum of Art)
Lena says: "This work is the start of a new series in which I fuse state of the art computer and digital technology with old school art and craft techniques. Our world is a conglomeration of old and new, and our sense of reality is constantly changing with the introduction and assimilation of new technologies into our culture as we hold onto the old, comfortable ways. This new series of artwork expresses this cohabitation and conjoining of old and new."
"I begin with a digital photograph of a mundane object and then modify it with numerous digital imaging techniques in order to produce an abstraction of reality. I then print the resulting abstract digital artwork onto archival fine art papers and then add the 'old school' techniques of pen and ink, oil, watercolor and acrylic washes and sometimes simple embroidery stitches to create one of a kind originals."
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02.25.2009 Limited Edition Photomontage by Lena Johnson entitled "Idaho Farm Memories" accepted into "50th International Juried Exhibition of the San Diego Art Institute. Reception and Exhibit to be held at Museum of the Living Artist through May 15, 2009 (Juror: Dr. Julia Marciari Alexander)
Lena says: "This particular work is an assemblage of approximately 20 photographs from four different locations shot on Hwy 75 between Shoshone and Sun Valley, Idaho. This area is rich in vernacular architecture related to the farming industry that once thrived in this region. All of these structures have been abandoned, and are now in an advanced state of deterioration. I predict that within 3 - 7 years most will have collapsed and will be forever gone as landmarks of this region. In this particular photomontage I transferred more than 80 fragments from my photographic archive of this region to create this work. The barns, silos, fence segments, animals and farm implements were each individually transferred and inserted into the final composition using a digital imaging software program."
This work is the start of a new series of photomontages by Lena that mirrors the workings of the subconscious mind in the dream state. The subconscious mind stores a life time of memories and then pulls fragments from this memory bank to create imaginative and vivid dreams while we sleep. Mirroring this process, Lena transfers fragments from her extensive archive of digital photographs and creates entirely new realities, or dreams, that contain memories of the places she has photographed.
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"Idaho Field Dream" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved.
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"Phosphorescent Columns" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved. |
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01.28.2009 Limited Edition Photomontage by Lena Johnson entitled "Idaho Field Dream" accepted into "Outstanding Visual Artists" of the Region Show at Museum of the Living Artist, San Diego Art Institute (Juror: Lynn Sushlotz)
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01.28.2009 Limited Edition Photograph by Lena Johnson entitled "Phosphorescent Columns" accepted into "One Foot Show" at Museum of the Living Artist, San Diego Art Institute (Juror: Lynn Sushlotz)
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"Faces of God" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved.
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"Aztec Dancer" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved. |
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12.11.2008 Limited Edition Photomontage by Lena Johnson entitled "Faces of God" accepted into "Outstanding Visual Artists" of the Region Show at Museum of the Living Artist, San Diego Art Institute (Juror: Rochelle Kessler)
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08.25.2008
Limited Edition Photograph by Lena Johnson entitled "Aztec Dancer" accepted into
"Outstanding Visual Artists" of the Region Show at Museum of the Living Artist,
San Diego Art Institute (Juror: Joanna Bigfeather) ARTIST STATEMENT: "This was one of the most moving performances I have ever witnessed. As drums beat in the background and the smell of burning sage filled the air, the Aztec dancers swirled around the gazebo in Chicano Park. The sound of the caracol (conch shell trumpet) pierced the air as the Hueceros de Fraile (friar bones) ankle bands made of Ayoyote tree seed pods rattled with each step. In this dance, the Chicanos honor their Aztec ancestors through ritual dances and ceremonies, passing an important sense of history and identity to successive generations. The entire community participates in these dances, from the toddlers to the elders, each one in elaborate costumes of brilliantly colored beadwork, brightly colored feathers, glistening sequins and hand appliqués."
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"Red Velvet" © Lena Johnson Studio. All Rights Reserved.
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06.02.2008 Limited Edition Photograph by Lena Johnson entitled "Red Velvet" accepted into "Outstanding Visual Artists" of the Region Show at Museum of the Living Artist, San Diego Art Institute (Juror: Ric Todd)
Lena's statement about the piece: "The Lowrider is alive and well in San Diego as shown here at the Chicano Park Festival where hundreds of these intricately detailed cars were on display. This tradition is a uniquely Chicano invention that merges art, religion, fashion, recreation and family values. The name Lowrider was coined when large families of Mexicans riding in the car caused it to sink low to the ground. Oftentimes, the Lowrider is a family project where brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles and children share responsibility for design elements such as air brush detailing, hydraulics, engine restoration, upholstery and accessories. The Lowrider is a cultural statement about a way of life that values family, relaxation, artistic expression and the pride of being uniquely Chicano without ever selling out who you are..."
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Read artist statement about Lena's contemporary photography
Museum quality Chromogenic Prints, Giclée Fine Art Prints and Black and White Photographs using Piezography® Process are available of Lena's contemporary photography work.
Fine art photography by Lena Johnson is for sale in limited edition prints.
For pricing and information: Contact Lena