Kiel Johnson

Gallery Affiliations: Mark Moore Gallery, Davidson Contemporary

Region: Pacific Coast

The latest bodies of work began as an investigation into common objects that are bold enough to come forward. Random coincidences and the not-so-serious moments in my life become starting points from which I will build compositions. Within this framework, I attempt to elevate the importance of the imagery, at the same time devising scenarios that are packed with whimsy and humor.

Any conversation, odd discovery, or chance occurrence can become fuel for a drawing—the motivation is simply curiosity about and a quest for understanding how things are put together. I dissect some of the everyday items I happen on to better appreciate and manipulate their nature: to discover and pictorially reveal the profound in the quirky behavior of familiar objects. I use the everyday to pollinate a larger vocabulary of abstract images.