Duncan Johnson @ Marcia Wood Gallery and Hotel Vermont

On a recent trip to Atlanta I stopped in the Marcia Wood Gallery and, although the show had officially ended, I was lucky to find most of Duncan Johnson's latest show still on view. 

The show stopper is certainly Color Code. It is the largest and most dramatic piece in the show. I love how the snippets of color are isolated between large segments of rough sawn lumber. The color sections become miniature minimalist paintings, each as interesting as the next. In part, because Duncan assembles his paintings from scraps of wood he finds at his local Vermont dump, the piece seems to be a perfect balances between the atmosphere of a rural, historic, environment with a cosmopolitan, contemporary art world. The two are often seen as dichotomous but here they exist in harmony.

Color Code

48" x 60"

2013

Notice that Duncan subtly adds nails and graphite lines to the surface, perhaps as part of the construction but also contributing another layer interest. The lines and nails tie the piece together visually and physically.   

Color Code (close up)

Another close up to show the texture of the rough sawn lumber.

Color Code (close up)

With this side view, you can see how thin Duncan mills the wood strips.

Color Code (side view)

Hotel Vermont, a recently opened high end hotel in Burlington, had the wisdom to ask Duncan to enlarge the piece to be used as a focal point for their business. It is interesting how the piece states visually how they want to be viewed by the public, as they say on their website -- Rustic and Modern, Local and Global, Natural and Sophisticated. It is so tied to their marketing that they placed it behind the reception desk, used it as the background for their website home page, and an image of it is on their key cards. 

Color Code (Hotel Vermont)

79" x 128"

2013

Color Code (moderate close up)

Color Code (close up close up)

Hotel Vermont even commissioned a video to be made of Duncan constructing the piece. It shows his process from dump scrounging to hanging.

With all of Duncan's work, there is a interesting contrasting balance between meticulous design and construction verses a casual acceptance, and even appreciation, for things the way they are. There also seems to be an appreciation for history and mystery. The work asks many questions of the viewer and provides few answers.

Other favorite pieces from his Atlanta show include:

Tug Sunday, with its stunning pastel series along the top;

Tug Sunday

40" x 30"

2013

Decoder, with its cryptic partial lettering;

Decoder

36" x 28"

2012

and its time-worn distressed surface;

Decoder (closeup)

Flagman, with its alternately directional patterned stripes,

Flagman

30.25" x 25.75"

2013

and more distressed surfaces;

Flagman (closeup)

And Overhead, with its eye catching pattern of "Xs",

Overhead

18" x 13"

2013

and multi-layered peeling paint colors.

Overhead (closeup)

I find it interesting how Duncan captures the same ideas, techniques, and styles as so many modern painters, but he does it with real life works of art. Many modern painters spend their time building up their surfaces and tearing them down. They rough up their work trying to imitate the effects of time. In contrast, Duncan has found a sophisticated way to use the real thing. 

Exceptional Wood Art @ Art Hop

This year's Art Hop in Burlington, VT was another successful event, perhaps the best yet. I'm amazed that in a such a small state, someone can organize an art event that includes well over 500 artists, over 100 studios and make-shift galleries, and draw tens of thousands art enthusiasts. I also love how it seems to be such a Vermont-ish event in that it is so egalitarian, everyone one is welcome and can find a space to display work. And artist of all levels do, successful professional artists can be seen right next to novices (many of whom are also very good). You know you won't like everything, in fact, you might not like most of what you see, but you never know what to expect and there are so many surprising gems, works by artists you've never heard of, that it is worth it to endure the marathon march it takes to see a majority of the work (seeing everything is not realistic for normal human beings).

I started on Friday, September 9, at 2:30 (two hours before the start) and finished at 10:00 and still hadn't seen close to everything but, coincidentally, I found the best wood art at both the beginning and end (I returned on Saturday and looked for a couple more hours but still didn't get to every venue, although, I have to admit, seeing all the venues would be infinitely easier if I didn't know anybody).

One of my first stops was Select Design, a brand development company, which always has high quality work in their space. I hadn't checked the show guide because it is too overwhelming to look through so I was completely surprised and very pleased to find that BigTown Gallery, of Rochester, VT, was exhibiting a number of their artists there, including Hugh Townley and Duncan Johnson.

Townleyberrybush

cedar threaded on metal
1960-62
Hugh Townley

Mrs. Crowlady
mahogany on painted base
1998-2006
Hugh Townley

I had previously seen this piece, A Brief History of Haley's Comet, at Hugh's retrospective show at the Fleming Museum a couple of years ago but this viewing gave me a chance to look at it more closely and seen how he constructed it. There are a lot of things I like about this piece, but what I really love is the wormy mahogany at the bottom which I assume plays the role of stars in this composition. The holes are so large that they look like they were drilled out but the lack of tear out along with some horizontal borings make me think that it could only have been done by some very large bugs.

A Brief History of Haley's Comet
mahogany relief
1984
Hugh Townley

There was also this plywood tondo that seems to be some kind of hieroglyphic story which I find indecipherable but I like the contrast between the commonness of the material and the fine craft that was used to construct it. (my image of this piece isn't great because of the lighting but you can view a professional version here).

Tondo 8
plywood relief
2000
Hugh Townley

With Michigan Avenue, it again seems that Hugh is telling a story that I can't decipher, but from the title I can hazard a guess it has something to do with a trip to Chicago.(Again, my image isn't great but you can find a better one here.)

Michigan Avenue
plywood relief
1999
Hugh Townley

Like Hugh, Duncan Johnson's paintings combine inexpensive (actually free) materials with fine craft. As I mentioned in a previous post, Duncan finds discarded wood at his local landfill or nearby construction sites.

What I love most about his work is looking at the wonderful colors people have used in their homes and how it generates so many questions. I wish they all came with a story -- the history of the house, the painter, where the color was used, the families that selected or lived with it -- but with a complete lack of information, my mind is left to wonder/wander all on its own. The colors in this one, Pilot House, I find exceptional, the range of blues, the pink, peach, reds, and then that one lime/yellow below the pink and green blue -- it seems like it was destined for art because I can't believe it ever made any sense inside or outside a house.

Pilot House
found wood, nails, and graphite
Duncan Johnson

Duncan also uses a lot of different size nails in his pieces, meticulously placed along vertical and diagonal lines. There are many more nails than could conceivably be needed to hold the piece together so that they become a form of decoration, bejeweling the wood. By using a range in sizes (I believe including 17, 18, 20, 21 and 23 gauge) they have the effect of giving the pieces a starry quality, especially on a darker piece like this one.

Shepards Gate
found wood, nails, and graphite
Duncan Johnson

With Winter's Weight, and a number of his other paintings, there is an interesting play between background colors and the dynamic, surprising ones. I find that my eyes spend a lot of time on specific colors, jumping around looking for the ones I like best. In this one, I really focus on the pinks and blues. (I had to photograph this one from an angle because of a barrier, you can see a professional image on Duncan's website here.)

Winter's Weight

found wood, nails, and graphite
Duncan Johnson

Filter Fall is a newer piece in which he didn't use any nails (a profession image of this piece is here.)

Filter Fall
found wood
Duncan Johnson

There were also a number of furniture artists in the same show. Lars Larsen and Rolf Kielman, a studio furniture maker and architect team, displayed a few of their production prototypes, with models of the design process, first with paper, then cardboard, then plywood. There chair and table are supposed to assemble without any hardware and can be shipped flat. Very elegant and economical designs.

Lars Larsen and Rolf Kielman

Lars Larsen and Rolf Kielman

When I first saw this display from Modern Vermont, I thought the plywood sheet behind the chairs was the art and was actually a little disappointed to realize it was the CNC cutouts for the chairs in the front of the display. Again, a very economical design that is jazzed up with the colorful side panels.

Lincoln Brown
Modern Vermont

In stark contrast to the production furniture on display, there was also this intelligently minimalist hand-made curly birch table by Eyrich Stauffer.

curly birch
Eyrich Stauffer

My final stop of the night was RL Photo, where I found Clark Derbes' wonderful wood sculptures. He doesn't use any expensive equipment or elaborate techniques to make them. They are intentionally primitive in their construction (his primary tool is a chain saw) which may result in casual observers overlooking their playful sophistication.

Time Traveler
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

I needed to include a lot of images of each piece because one would be pointless. You really need to see them from multiple angles to get a sense of what is going on.

Time Traveler
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

This sculpture, Time Traveler, has twelve sides, cut at random angles, that, along with the recurring geometric paintings, results in an optical effect that dramatically changes the piece as the viewer moves around it. It actually seems to jump between two and three dimensions, and, unlike most sculpture, it gives a sense of being a completely different work when looked at from even a slightly different angle.

Time Traveler
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

In addition to being optically surprising, the primitive nature of their construction adds to their playfulness.

The Three R's
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

Although cleaned up a bit with a palm sander, the chainsaw leaves deep gouges and, to ensure an informality, he rubs dirt in them between coats of paint. The effect is to make them approachable and joyful.

The Three R's
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

Standing Room (left) and Elbow Room (right)
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

Standing Room (left) and Elbow Room (right)
wood and paint
Clark Derbes

Clark's unpainted Solid Box could probably be mistaken for a bench but given the amount of fun and informality that he imbues in his work, I'd guess that he wouldn't mind if it were used that way. Being that it is made of ash, I doubt you would hurt it and he'd probably like the effects wear would have on the wood (not that I'm recommending you sit on it, I'm a firm believer in the policy of always asking before touching the art).

Solid Box
ash
Clark Derbes

Solid Box
ash
Clark Derbes

This final piece, Hollow Red Form 2011, doesn't create the same optical effects as the others but it is also clearly made with a playful spirit. It makes me think of a child's toy, but not one of those boringly perfect factory-made toys, rather something constructed by a child in a time when imagination and spirit was all that was need to have fun.

Hollow Red Form 2011

carved and polychrome pine
Clark Derbes

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get this post up early enough to encourage people to make it to this year's Art Hop (most of the work comes down at the end of September) but I strongly recommend it as a future destination. It is a truly great art event in being so open and welcoming to all kinds of people whatever their level of art sophistication or financial means. Anyone, from a child with a tooth fairy's bank roll to a serious collector with a corporate credit card, can find art that they can afford and appreciate for a lifetime.

Duncan Johnson @ Spheris Gallery -- Hanover, NH

Last week I was in Hanover, NH and happened into Spheris Gallery, the New England annex of Cynthia Reeves' Chelsea gallery, where I was surprised to find a show of wood "paintings" by Vermont artist Duncan Johnson. I hadn't been aware of his work so was happy to both discover it and find that he is a well established artist working in wood.

His work is an interesting blend of chance and intention -- raw, rough, weathered, found wood scraps that are meticulously cut, arranged, and assembled. The result is mysterious and thought provoking as the viewer alternates between thinking of the possible stories that preceded each piece finding its way into the work, and the fine craftsmanship that went into the final composition.

Bear Claw
47" x 58"

I like the bright color theme in Bear Claw both aesthetically and conceptually. I feel the brighter the color the more intense the questions about their origins -- Who owned them? What were they used for? Why were they painted with intense colors? How did Duncan come upon the piece?

This one below, Longitude (2009), is the largest of the show. Each piece of wood has been reduced to about 3/16" thick and attached to a light grid frame. I was told this piece weighs under 50 lbs. Quite an accomplishment.

Longitude (2009)
84" x 60"

Longitude (2008)
72" x 48"

With this close-up of Longitude (2008) you can see an important aspect of the work. Duncan ties the pieces together, both physically and visually, with two different types of nails that are placed along his horizontal and diagonal graphite lines. Mistakes aren't an option. Draw the wrong line and you aren't going to be able to remove it without disturbing the surface. Miss the nail and you'll leave a distracting dent. I'm not sure how he does it; a very stressful undertaking that I'm sure I would have problems with on both counts.

Longitude (close-up)

Nightbridge
32" x 36"

Phantom
24" x 27"

Stoke Hold
24" x 27"

His titles also add a level of mystery to the work. They probably have personal meaning for Duncan but, importantly, they don't take away from the art. It isn't easy naming abstract geometric work without being too detached or prescriptive. These seem to be a good balance.

Notably, Duncan is a 2009 American Academy of Arts and Letters award winner. A huge accomplishment and honor. It is nice to see the established arts community recognizing his unique vision and aesthetics.