(American, b. 1962)
Sherry Johnson was born and raised on a farm in Orem, Utah. She was gifted as an artist at an early age and has celebrated her love of the natural world through her drawings and paintings. She graduated with a BFA in painting from Utah Valley University and currently works in her studio in Riverton, Utah.
“We do not escape into philosophy, psychology, and art – we go there to restore our shattered selves into whole ones.” Anais Nin
When I was a young child running barefoot through my father’s apple orchards, I would lie under the crooked trees and watch the dappled light streaming through the leaves. The smell of damp earth and crisp apples in sunshine filled my senses and I would return home to try and capture the light, color, even the smells on canvas. Painting was my meditative way of interpreting the world. I continue to find restoration and connection with nature through this creative process.
In my recent work, I find inspiration in sun-bleached skulls. Bones are our body’s foundation, what we are when we are stripped down, what remains when we leave this existence. In many cultures, bones are symbolic of the earth, regeneration and immortality beyond death. Beyond the metaphorical, I find the beauty and design of skulls compelling in a simple and profound way. I hope to share this perspective and vision through my latest oil paintings.
