Skip to content

Elizabeth Johnson

The Cost of Sleep

March 7 - 30, 2024

Selected Works Thumbnails
3, 7 And 13  22" x 28"  Oil On Canvas

3, 7 And 13

22" x 28"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
A Long Day Closes  22" x 28"  Oil On Canvas

A Long Day Closes

22" x 28"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
An April Evening  22" x 28"  Oil On Canvas

An April Evening

22" x 28"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Attamaroov  52" x 64"  Oil On Canvas

Attamaroov

52" x 64"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Big Answers 52" x 64"  Oil On Canvas

Big Answers

52" x 64"

Oil On Canvas

Shop

Inquire
Cemetery Balloons  20" x 16"  Oil On Canvas

Cemetery Balloons

20" x 16"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Fritz Maytag  24" x 18"   Oil On Canvas

Fritz Maytag (SOLD)

24" x 18" 

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Gallimaufry  38" x 50"  Oil On Canvas

Gallimaufry

38" x 50"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Iota  20" x 16"  Oil On Canvas

Iota

20" x 16"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Ngaio Marsh  24" x 30"  Oil On Canvas

Ngaio Marsh

24" x 30"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Read As Heavenly  45" x 55"  Oil On Canvas

Read As Heavenly

45" x 55"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Saturday, Level And Full  48" x 60"  Oil On Canvas

Saturday, Level And Full

48" x 60"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Selcouth  16" x 20"  Oil On Canvas

Selcouth (SOLD)

16" x 20"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
The 4th Wheel  20" x 16"  Oil On Canvas

The 4th Wheel

20" x 16"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
The Moon Path  30.5" x 59"  Oil On Canvas

The Moon Path

30.5" x 59.5"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Twice And Again  24" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Twice And Again

24" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Shop

Inquire
Unauthored  28" x 22"  Oil On Canvas

Unauthored

28" x 22"

Oil On Canvas

Inquire
Wallpaper In Cemetery  18" x 24"  Oil On Canvas

Wallpaper In Cemetery

18" x 24"

Oil On Canvas

Shop

Inquire
3, 7 And 13  22" x 28"  Oil On Canvas

3, 7 And 13

22" x 28"

Oil On Canvas

A Long Day Closes  22" x 28"  Oil On Canvas

A Long Day Closes

22" x 28"

Oil On Canvas

An April Evening  22" x 28"  Oil On Canvas

An April Evening

22" x 28"

Oil On Canvas

Attamaroov  52" x 64"  Oil On Canvas

Attamaroov

52" x 64"

Oil On Canvas

Big Answers 52" x 64"  Oil On Canvas

Big Answers

52" x 64"

Oil On Canvas

Shop

Cemetery Balloons  20" x 16"  Oil On Canvas

Cemetery Balloons

20" x 16"

Oil On Canvas

Fritz Maytag  24" x 18"   Oil On Canvas

Fritz Maytag (SOLD)

24" x 18" 

Oil On Canvas

Gallimaufry  38" x 50"  Oil On Canvas

Gallimaufry

38" x 50"

Oil On Canvas

Iota  20" x 16"  Oil On Canvas

Iota

20" x 16"

Oil On Canvas

Ngaio Marsh  24" x 30"  Oil On Canvas

Ngaio Marsh

24" x 30"

Oil On Canvas

Read As Heavenly  45" x 55"  Oil On Canvas

Read As Heavenly

45" x 55"

Oil On Canvas

Saturday, Level And Full  48" x 60"  Oil On Canvas

Saturday, Level And Full

48" x 60"

Oil On Canvas

Selcouth  16" x 20"  Oil On Canvas

Selcouth (SOLD)

16" x 20"

Oil On Canvas

The 4th Wheel  20" x 16"  Oil On Canvas

The 4th Wheel

20" x 16"

Oil On Canvas

The Moon Path  30.5" x 59"  Oil On Canvas

The Moon Path

30.5" x 59.5"

Oil On Canvas

Twice And Again  24" x 36"  Oil On Canvas

Twice And Again

24" x 36"

Oil On Canvas

Shop

Unauthored  28" x 22"  Oil On Canvas

Unauthored

28" x 22"

Oil On Canvas

Wallpaper In Cemetery  18" x 24"  Oil On Canvas

Wallpaper In Cemetery

18" x 24"

Oil On Canvas

Shop

“I am interested in how my subconscious influences my art. Because I work with distorted but recognizable images, seeking the ‘right’ color, image, or texture, I want the mix of visual information to simultaneously hang together and pull apart to emphasize transitions. When it works, a painting reminds me of dream space, where events and objects are always changing...”

––Elizabeth Johnson

Elizabeth Johnson - The Cost of Sleep - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Gross McCleaf is pleased to present Elizabeth Johnson’s first solo exhibition with the gallery, The Cost of Sleep. This collection showcases a series of oil paintings that blend vivid imagery and robust earth tones into dynamic, swirling compositions. Recognizable objects meld into painterly brushstrokes, only to reemerge as novel, unexpected pictorial elements.

Johnson’s painting process begins by collecting fragments of print media images and patterns. Responding intuitively to these visual sources, she categorizes them as either landscape or figurative imagery, manipulating chosen bits in Photoshop, warping and distorting them into curved shapes. The resulting digital image is printed out and reserved as a source of future inspiration.

Image Right: Wallpaper In Cemetery, 18″ x 24″, Oil On Canvas

Elizabeth Johnson - The Cost of Sleep - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Selcouth, 16″ x 20″, Oil On Canvas

In the studio, Johnson mixes a palette of mostly naturalistic colors that are reminiscent of weather, seasons, and a childhood spent on a farm. Mixing varieties of hue, value, and saturation that only oil paint can provide, she has learned that “all colors are useful, the ugliest especially." Pre-preparing images and media allows Johnson to devote her full attention to selecting subjects to paint. She works by trial and error, trying out possible digital images, frequently turning her canvases, and destroying most of what she produces. Permitting drifts of connection and metaphors that might bridge landscape and figural elements within her work, she deliberately avoids definitive narrative. She asserts, “If I feel a story is about to coalesce, I undo what I did and try something else."

For Johnson, this activity of deconstruction and reconstruction relates to the free-association process that occurs while dreaming. She prefers not knowing where a painting might lead and allowing stories or relationships to unfold relative to the viewer’s own inclination or perception. Within her pieces lie unique cues, inviting threads waiting to be tugged, an unraveling experience that transcends direction and time.

Elizabeth Johnson is an oil painter, art writer, and guest curator based in Easton, Pennsylvania. After receiving her B.A. in Fine Arts from Bard College, Johnson moved to San Francisco where she lived, worked, and exhibited until 2010. Since returning to the Northeast, she has exhibited with the Allentown Art Museum, in Allentown, Pennsylvania; The Center for Emerging Visual Artists, in Philadelphia; at Bowery Gallery in New York; Trestle Gallery, in Brooklyn; and at Marquee Projects, on Long Island. She has been a guest curator at Gross McCleaf Gallery, Soft Machine Gallery, Cedar Crest College, Marquee Projects, and Lafayette College, among others. Her writing has been featured in The Brooklyn Rail, Theartblog.org, Deliciousline.org, Figure/Ground.org, and Paintersonpaintings.com.

Elizabeth Johnson - The Cost of Sleep - Exhibitions - Gross McCleaf Gallery

Unauthored, 28″ x 22″, Oil On Canvas

~ Exhibition Preview ~

March 7 - 30, 2024  
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 9, 1 - 4 pm

Videos

Elizabeth Johnson featured in John Thornton’s Artist Film “The Multi Dimensional Paintings of Elizabeth Johnson”

John Thornton’s Video Description: “Elizabeth Johnson is a wonderful painter whose “multi-dimensional” artworks evoke Cubism as well as advanced ideas in physics. She also is a great interviewer of her fellow artists at Gross McCleaf Gallery and other places. I found both Elizabeth herself and her paintings fascinating.”