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The Clark Arts Council has a terrific year of exhibitions planned for the Donna Chase Art Gallery, located on Clark’s Franklin Campus. First to be featured in 2020 is watercolor artist Jim Johnson.
A reception, talk from the artist, and Q&A session will take place Wednesday, January 15 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. This event is free to attend and open to the public.
January 15, 2020
2-3:30 PM
Donna Chase Art Gallery
Franklin Campus
1551 Franklin St.SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506
Jim was educated at Kendall College of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. After an enlistment in the Navy, he worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator for thirty years. Since retirement in 2003, Jim has been painting landscapes, still lifes, portraits and figurative work, mostly in watercolor. He presently paints and exhibits in West Michigan.
“I love art that is loose and spontaneous. I always start by painting directly from life without much preliminary thinking. The only prep work is a rough pencil sketch done directly onto my watercolor paper which I don’t erase. And if possible, I’d rather not know what the subject matter is going to be on that day. This way, the excitement is always fresh and that translates into pure creative energy,” Jim said of his work.
He added, “I’ve learned to embrace the concept of risk, always working slightly out of control, pushing and stretching to make something new happen with each painting. I’ve done my best paintings, and have had the most fun, when I’ve taken risks right from my very first brushstroke.”
Jim’s work will be on display in Clark’s Donna Chase Art Gallery from January 7 to March 1.