Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/1514247
10 WAC Magazine | wac.net first take grand staircase gallery By Mae Jacobson Artist Spencer Allen Johnson invites WAC members into his imagination starting this February in the WAC's Grand Staircase Gallery. As a career ar- chitect, Johnson had ample opportunity to travel the world. His journeys through Asia and the Middle East exposed John- son to a bevy of landscapes, city skylines, and unique areas that now influence his watercolor, mixed media, and pen and ink work. "My subjects are a recalling of every- thing I've ever seen," Johnson says. "I want to merge feelings of what I was looking at, and what I remember." e results are expressive images reminiscent of forests, canyons, fields, and urban spaces. Johnson captures light and hue in a masterful way that trans- ports viewers to the very spot—even if it doesn't technically exist outside of his mind. ere's tangible freedom in knowing the images Johnson has created could be anywhere. For the viewer, a treelined path, bamboo grove, or a snowy tableau in a city park is as much a scene from John- son's mind as it is one from your personal memories, current experiences, or future dreams. is is the tablet upon which a viewer can impress cherished feelings, desires, and memorable moments. Perhaps most impressive are Johnson's mixed-media works in which he first lays out the subject—be it an urban tunnel or a Cubism-esque spa—in pencil. en he returns with pen and ink before accent- ing the pieces with a very light wash of watercolor. "I treat my pens just like a brush," he says. "Some of my mixed-media paintings have a million strokes." e works set to appear in the WAC Grand Staircase Gallery are a small por- tion of the art Johnson produces in his downtown Seattle waterfront studio. In fact, he oen tears up his own paintings upon completion. "If it doesn't meet my intentions, it doesn't get shown," he says. Enjoy Johnson's efforts in the Grand Staircase Gallery this February–April. Where light and shadow meet Artist Spencer Allen Johnson brings his mixed-media vision to the Grand Staircase S P E N C E R A L L E N J O H N S O N u "A Storm is a' Coming" by Seattle artist Spencer Allen Johnson is one of the works set to appear in the Grand Staircase Gallery.