James F. Johnston, an English musician and painter, known by his musical collaboration with Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, P.J.Harvey, Lydia Lunch etc… is an artist who plays several instruments with great talent and beside music talent he also paints. From tonight for instance, if you are in London, 29th of July 2022 James F.Johnston will be exhibiting some of his oil painting at London Don’t Walk Walk Gallery at 10 Victoria Road Deal, Kent CT14 7AP. Don’t Walk Walk Gallery also sells James F. Johnstons’ paintings. You can check it out over here https://www.dontwalkwalkgallery.com/gallery/james-f-johnston James’ next big solo exhibition outside of London will be in the organization of Don’t Walk Walk Gallery at Deal Castle 14th of October 2022.
I reckon that, when it comes to painting, there are many aspects of his work. Many things can come out of one’s (sub)consciousness if the artist know how to listen it. Although, his art themes and art objects are different, it is interesting the way how he sees people and animals. James allows himself to “split” in a kind of multiple artistic “branches” without getting bored or being repetitive. He plays with realism and kind of abstraction, although his objects are pretty recognizable: it seems that he likes to touch extremes, different spectrums. There is something extremely recognizable in a human features in the canvas, but again something also abstract that someone could only guess, as a reference to it. There is no “oversaturation” in a literal sense via open and rich colors, and very colorfully, he is familiar with symbolism, distorted bodies, and intensity of detail, but never with too many details: one object on canvas usually. The artist’s studio inhabits an unparalleled place in one’s collective imagination. Behind a closed door, working alone, an artist transforms images that at first glance don’t seem at all that special, but one can sense chaos in it. James is very good in controlling that chaos, he is letting things ensue and flow.
In short his paintings are an intimate, and compelling space, a place where some fantastic details (or just one detail) are depicted, just like in dreams, the image just pop out. This artist’ space is indeed wonderful and complex, a magnificent site of creation, a vivid environment of storytelling, where one can feel the artist’s conspicuous presence. On one occasion, James told me that he admires American filmmaker David Lynch’s paintings and how David sees art, and I just couldn’t help but seeing him working with Lynch, which is not impossible since James F Johnston have had an acting role in 2002 with a great English film director Ken Russell, in “The Fall of House of Usher: A Gothic Tale for 21st Century”. And somehow, all this is not surprising at all.
My favorite oil canvas of James F. Johnston must be the ones that feature the animals. His animals constantly repeating sort of “becoming in nature” that is more like a movement, rather than a stable image, like he is exploring the metamorphosis of the body and the potential of human becoming animal. It is almost like a skill in people, this human becoming animal or artist becoming animal in art work. “The application of skill to the arts of imitation and design, painting, engraving, sculpture, architecture; and the skillful production of the beautiful in visible forms,” I am quoting the hilarious definition from the Oxford English Dictionary in try to explain. But of course, this definition of artistic skills varies immensely.
I personally found his interpretation of bird on canvas very interesting. It immediately took me to an Edgar Allan Poe’s ”The Raven” where Poe’s “Nevermore” creates a clear image of iconic raven act, a massive bird with black, beady eyes, with a long beak, and thick feathers, which is the typical inspiration for an artist. The ravens are mythical creatures, in the amazing world of birds, they hold a special place of recognition. Birds view the earth from a perspective that most of us never get a chance.