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Local artists reveal The
Truth at the Art House
Surface Treatment
A lively variety
of art works were exhibited at The Art House Gallery in
Artists
searching for the truth included Kim Snyder Johnson,
Johnson’s works
filled the front gallery. Her mixed media works combine the mechanical and the
organic, the recycled and the new.
Having worked in
the auto salvage industry for a full decade, Johnson responds to the beauty of
a well-shaped fender, a gleaming Cadillac headlight or a gently sloped
mechanical part. She was inspired by the phenomenon of salvaged cars sitting
for years. Weeds often growing inside of them were the source of some of her
current inspirations.
“I work in auto
parts,” Johnson explained. “It’s part of a family business. I worked in auto
salvage for a good 10 years.”
With her
sculpture, Manifest Destiny, Johnson has covered an exhaust manifold in collage
and added the illusion of grass growing from the manifold. A
juxtaposition of the natural 
and the
manmade.
“I always
enjoyed the vintage hubcaps,” said Johnson, “and I put them up on the wall in
the office; I never took the artistic step until recently.”
Hub and
Beachfront Cadillac, which are shown together, comprise a large piece. Three
vintage wheel covers are poised above a 1978 De Ville header. Again there is the
contrast between the machined objects and the organic elements. Natural
rough-hewn wood surround the wheel covers; grass extends from the top of the
Cadillac header. The effect is one of decaying nostalgia.
Leonard’s new
paintings and ceramics reflect his usual cat theme. An exception was a large
acrylic painting, The Return of Leonardclaus/ in a
bottle/three Fishes/not yours. A figure trapped in a bottle looks wistfully
out. Next to the bottle, three fish are horizontally arranged against an open
landscape. Old Backyard and New Backyard are small paintings depicting cat’s
faces. Leonard has used a rich violet hue with yellow accents imparting a sense
of royalty to the cats. A depth of power beyond Leonard’s previous works is
discernable.
Smith showed both
representational works as well as his more recent abstract directions.
Miller showed
several abstract paintings. There was an experimental flavor within the range
of his work.
Moya’s exhibition of photographs offered a restful presence in the midst
of this exhibit. His photographs record figurative cemetery sculpture from
About his
interest in cemetery art, Moya said, “It’s the idea that we have one chance to
make a first impression. Everyone believes that they have one chance to make a
last impression.”
The Art House,
located at
———
Nancy Moyer, Ph.D., is an art reviewer for The Monitor. She is an independent
artist living in