Teddy Johnson's paintings play with the traditions of Western Art to explore storytelling, history, perception, and culture. Linda Matney Gallery has showcased the meditative and layered works of this prolific painter since 2011, and he is among several artists the gallery represents who studied at the University of Georgia. We recently caught up with him about his work as an artist and curator in the Baltimore area.
Comment on the painting Wash from the 2019 Abound Exhibition
Wash was painted around the time of the birth of my son. So, I was naturally thinking about what it means to start fresh, the mysteries of life, and the struggles. An election was also happening, so I was also thinking about the nature of groups coming together around a single idea. Additionally, I was thinking about the beauty in common struggle.
Comment on the Deposition from the Quaternity Exhibition
The Deposition was a pivotal painting for me in my "paper painting" series. I explored a number of different things in this series, including the material detritus of everyday processes and work. The Deposition uses a favorite Rosso Fiorentino painting as a starting point. I xeroxed closeups of this work from a book and reconstructed it on a bulletin board as an abstracted somewhat sculptural collage. In painting from this lighted reconstruction, I was able to spend time deconstructing my understanding of this work, while working to represent it and honor it.
I have had the privilege of showing this work at several great spaces, including Current, the Bromo Seltzer Tower, and in the exhibit "Quaternity" with the Linda Matney Gallery.
Comment on the Last Mountain from our 5th Anniversary Exhibition.
Last Mountain was painted during my time in Athens, Georgia, where I received my MFA. I was part of a great community of artists there. I was interested in creating figuration from my mind’s eye. The work I was doing was on a large scale and was inspired by epic figure paintings of the past. Working from my mind’s eye was freeing. It allowed me to pare back significantly, and a style emerged on its own. It allowed for a story to reveal itself organically in the work.
The Cade Gallery Image from the Exhibit Grey Matter. Pictured are works by:
Ernest Shaw, Charles Mason III, Omolara Williams McCallister, and McKinley Wallace III
Comment on upcoming projects at the Cade Gallery and elswwhere
Things have been busy at the Cade Gallery, which I direct at Anne Arundel Community College. The current exhibit is called Grey Matter and includes 4 black artists, whose works in some way look at how the dominant society views blackness. Thomas James, of the Creative Alliance, curated this exhibit. I have had the opportunity to see a variety of exhibits curated or organized by Thomas, and it was a pleasure to see what he put together for the Cade Gallery. He has big things ahead of him in the future.
The upcoming exhibit I am co-curating, Call Back, is both an exciting opportunity to exhibit the works of artists I admire, and to collaborate with fellow artist, educator, and gallerist Matt Klos. The exhibit surveys a sampling of artists who are inspired by traditions in American Music.
Margo Rosenbaum
Singing with Nephews and Nieces, Kenny , Little Lucy at Doc and Lucy’s , Athens, GA
Photography
The exhibit will be held at two venues simultaneously, the Cade Gallery in Arnold MD, and the Exeter Art Gallery in Baltimore. It features 6 artists’ work, and includes drawings, paintings, photos, printmaking, paper cutouts, and Crankie's. LMG patrons should take note that Art and Margo Rosenbaum, and Michael Ananian who exhibit with LMG, will be in the exhibit. We are including a number of Art's paintings that include musicians, but many of his works have a larger than life quality to them like a ballad or blues song anyway. Even when instruments are not in the figures hands they seem to boast, swoon, and intertwine with a kinetic energy. Margo is also a fantastic painter, but we wanted to focus on her photographs in this exhibit, as she has a large amount of works that intimately capture musicians. They are full of humanity and a sense of place. They are beautifully composed and have the intimacy of a home movie. Micheal Ananian’s work is alive with the tension and vibrations of traditional fiddle music while still deeply immersed in observational painting.
Another exciting upcoming event for me is Kindling, which will be on view from March 7th thru April 25th. This solo exhibition of my work gathers selections from both my Paper Painting series and my Kindling/Tinder series. I'm excited to have the opportunity to have these works speak to each other, and proud to be exhibiting at the American Poetry Museum in Washington, D.C. Jon West Bay, the executive director and founder of the space is the curator. It is exciting to get the opportunity to work with him in this capacity. He has great vision and is wonderfully decisive.