Exploring the Unknown: Abstract works by Sue Johnson are on display at Brenda McMahon Gallery for the month of October.
Photo by Becca McCoy
On the second floor of the ArtsXchange, the coveted studios in the Warehouse Arts District, is the artistic home of Sue Johnson.
She has been in the complex since its grand opening in October 2017, working in representational and abstract art through oil, acrylic, and cold wax mediums. After a full personal and professional life as wife and mother, special ed teacher, and art therapist, Johnson has happily realized her lifelong aspiration of being a full-time artist.
Originally from Charleston, West Virginia, Johnson spent her working years in Vermont and retired to Florida in 2000.
Art has always been part of her life, and when telling her story, a theme recurs: “I took a class…” “I took a workshop…” “I continued taking art classes…” Her journey has been one of continual dedication to the practice of art, through which came the process of finding her own voice.
“I’m still growing, I’m still changing,” she said. “I’m an explorer.”
Sue Johnson’s Exploring the Unknown Exhibit
Her solo show at Brenda McMahon Gallery, Exploring the Unknown, is her first all-abstract exhibit.
“There’s something about doing a one-person show that gives you an opportunity to really look at your own work — to think about it. To think about how you would describe it, how you would talk about it,” said Johnson. “I’ve never been too good at that, but I have really worked through some vocabulary.”
On Oct. 18, Brenda McMahon Gallery welcomed Sue Johnson in person for an artist talk and meet and greet. Johnson’s abstracts look right at home on the walls at BMG, juxtaposed by the evocative cityscapes of September’s featured artist Joe LeGrand and the distinct work of resident artist Patricia Kluwe Derderian.
“I was drawn to Sue Johnson’s work when walking through her studio during a [Second Saturday] ArtWalk,” Brenda McMahon told The Gabber Newspaper. “Her paintings feel fresh, exploratory, and ever changing. The color palette and mix of media gives her abstracts a sense of dimension and texture that travel through the paintings beautifully.”
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Sue Johnson’s solo show at Brenda McMahon Gallery, Exploring the Unknown, is her first all-abstract exhibit.
Photo by Becca McCoy
Johnson was honored to be invited to exhibit at BMG.
“The gallery has such high-quality work,” she said.
In addition to her show catalogue, Johnson brought some of what she calls “her babies” – small representational still life oil paintings – for the retail section of the gallery.
Johnson has a fondness for oil paint, but it doesn’t lend itself to abstracts due to the drying time. Her acrylic-based abstracts continue to evolve as she incorporates collage elements and experiments in new-to-her palettes.
“You’re pulled into a painting for different reasons,” she said. “Someone told me they felt like they were invited into another land when I saw my paintings; I thought that was lovely.”
When asked how she knows an abstract painting is finished, Johnson said, “When I stop feeling I have something else to do. When the messages stop.” Then, with a smile and a twinkle in her eye, she added, “With the caveat: I have taken pieces off the wall and painted over them again.”
Exploring the Unknown with Abstract Artist Sue Johnson
Brenda McMahon Gallery, 2901 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport. Through Oct. 31. brendamcmahongallery.com, 727-454-0453.
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