In a World of Dream Cities and Lone Trees

By Krista Thom
Contributing Writer

What do you do when you’re growing up with the name of a rock star? If you are fortunate enough to also look like a rock star, you could start signing autographs and get into exclusive restaurants. But if you’re several years younger, and live in rural North Dakota, you probably want to come up with a different plan.

Eric A. Johnson decided to start using his middle initial, and do something to make his own name recognizable. Johnson is a local artist who is making a name for himself because of his unique designs.

Johnson specializes in reductive printmaking, a process developed by Pablo Picasso in the 1950s. It is different from other types of printmaking in that the same block is used for the entire process.

The artist starts out with a solid block of wood the size of the finished print, and covers it with ink. A piece of paper is pressed onto it, and absorbs the ink. Now that the paper is entirely one color, he begins cutting pieces out of the block. Once the shape (a flower, let’s say) is cut out, Johnson covers the block with another color of ink and presses the paper back onto it. After the second color is added, only the cutout flower keeps the original shade. The process is repeated over and over again with different colors.

Reductive printmaking is not a medium for the impatient. Every color requires two to three hours of labor (the time can vary depending on the size of the print and the intricacy of the carving). Once the color is applied, the paper is left to dry for about a day. It can take Johnson anywhere from a few days to a few months to finish a print (his record is nine months).

Even when a printmaker is diligent and extremely careful, he runs the risk of destroying his prints with each color application. Because the block is altered between each color, it’s impossible to go back and fix mistakes. It only takes a moment for an artist to destroy a print that’s taken months to create. Johnson says that his success rate is around 90%—which is a very good number, and a drastic improvement on his first attempts.

Because of the complexities of printmaking, most of Johnson’s prints are on the small side (typically 18”x24”). But recently he’s started working on larger prints to display in his upcoming art shows.

Two of Johnson’s signature subjects are trees and cityscapes – the images of where he’s been, and where he’d like to be. Johnson was raised in rural North Dakota, but has always been attracted to life in the big city.

Johnson grew up as one of six children on a farm outside of Embden. He and his siblings went to school in nearby Chaffee, which, despite serving several towns, had fewer than one hundred students. The only arts program at the school was music, which Johnson participated in through high school. But even though he didn’t have any formal art education, Johnson still enjoyed drawing and doodling.

In 1991, Johnson moved to Fargo to study psychology at NDSU. During his second quarter, he took a course in two-dimensional design. He liked it enough to start taking more art classes, and over the course of his studies, he found himself concentrating more and more on art, and less and less on psychology. He eventually decided to give up psychology altogether and pursue a degree in art.

At first, Johnson didn’t know he would specialize in printmaking. He enjoyed drawing and painting, and was very interested in sculpture as well. For his thesis project, Johnson was planning to do work in a variety of mediums, but after talking with the members of his thesis committee, he decided to focus on just one thing. He chose reductive printmaking, which appealed to him because it had elements of painting and sculpture. Since then, it has become his primary medium.

After earning his BS in art, Johnson went to UND for his MFA. He has since returned to NDSU as an instructor, and now teaches the same two-dimensional design class that got him interested in art in the first place.

Lately, Jonson has been attracting attention and has showcased his art at several different venues. This year he had two different shows at ecce art + yoga on Broadway. He currently has an art exhibit through the North Dakota Art Galleries Association which will be touring North Dakota and Montana for the next two years. That show features 58 prints, which Johnson completed over the last twelve years.

He will also be one of three featured artists in an upcoming show at the Kaddatz Gallery in Fergus Falls. The Fergus Fall show will feature many of his newer works, including several large prints.

Johnson has also recently teamed up with another well-known North Dakota artist, Star Wallowing Bull. The two of them met about five years ago, and decided to work together on two drawings. Each of them made a rough design, and then they exchanged artwork. They passed the drawings back and forth a few times, and each time the other would add new elements. When both of them got too busy with other projects, the drawings were put on the back burner. About two years ago, one of the drawings was pulled out of the closet, and handed over to a third artist, Mackenzie Kouba, who did the finishing touches.

Despite the time it took to complete the projects, Johnson and Wallowing Bull decided to collaborate on several more pieces. This time, Wallowing Bull provided the initial designs, and Johnson added some elements and turned them into prints. Two of their collaborations will be at the Fergus Falls art show.

When asked what his greatest artistic achievement has been, Johnson replied that he’s happy just to be doing what he loves. “I know a lot of people who I went to school with, and they haven’t kept up with their artwork,” says Johnson. “It’s sometimes a struggle to keep making it. You almost have to make a conscious choice to keep going. I’m happy just to be doing this.”

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If You Go

What: Eric A. Johnson: Reductive Printmaking
Where: Northwest Art Center, Hartnett Hall, 500 University Ave W, Minot ND
When: Nov 1-Dec 15, Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm, reception Nov 17.
Info: 701.858.3264

Where: Kaddatz Arts Gallery, 111 Lincoln Ave, Fergus Falls MN
When: Nov 23-Feb 11, 2011; artist reception Dec 2, 5-8pm
Info: 218.998.4405