Robin Johnson
DECOY
MAY 2024
DECOY by artist Robin Johnson explores relationships within physical and psychological spaces. Distinctly, the mirrored experiences that can be found in women and the environment. Cultural and historical expectations placed on such spaces create perimeters with often consequential effect. Resilience, in many forms, becomes a strategy of survival.
The works presented here are a continued investigation in such spaces though found and utilitarian objects and materials, used and manipulated to reveal natural vulnerabilities, illusions, expectations, and exploitations. A flock of decoy ducks, each painted in a slightly shifting shade of rouge auto paint, Rouge (12), reflect the mirages and facades emblematic of this region. A selection of wildflowers marked with utility symbols denoting excavation, while strokes of the perfect shade of white house paint hovering over canyon trails in the Casper series, reflect tenuous shifts in the value of space. A woman lifting a horse in a miraculous and superhuman performance evidenced in Buckshot, and a selection of hat drawings easily identifiable and memorable, simultaneously standing as symbols of labor or leisure.
Casper: Mourning Dove
oil/canvas
48x60"
Casper: Spanish Lace
oil/canvas
48x60"lippert_
Casper: Smoky White
oil/canvas
48x60"arylippert_
Together, 16” x 20” oil on canvas, Sima Jo, @simaajo
Girls on Film, Gabriella Kohr, @gabriellakohr
ROBIN JOHNSON
Robin Johnson's practice focuses on exploring principles of contemporary representation by merging her traditional training and digital arts background. Rooted in representation and perception, she explores relationships within physical and psychological environments. Her imagery reflects the iconic natural and cultural milieu of California as she creates non-linear allegories in which the scene shifts between portraiture and narration. The environments in her work are interchangeable and attend to geographical, psychological, and historically gendered spaces.
A nationally exhibiting artist, she has been featured in a number of publications; Southwest Art, Voyage LA, Riviera, Orange Coast, Studio Visit, COAST, and Cornell University's Epoch, while her paintings hang in private and public collections across the country. Robin and her work have appeared on The Travel Channel's The Dead Files and HGTV's Hawaii Life. Robin received her MFA in Painting from the Laguna College of Art + Design and is currently the Art Department Chair at Cosumnes River College. Previously she taught at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Loyola Marymount University, Fullerton College and served as archivist and studio assistant for noted California artist, Tony DeLap.