Artist Spotlight: Bruce Johnson
Bruce Johnson (Dublin, Oh) joined Millcroft Gallery in May 2023. Bruce’s interest in art began at an early age. He took classes in drawing, painting and design as electives while obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University. Additionally, he attended art classes at Bowling Green State University and Youngstown State. Eventually, being unsatisfied with job opportunities, he returned to school at Columbus College of Art and Design and received a B.S. in Advertising Design where he worked in the field of advertising thereafter until his fairly recent retirement.
Please describe your process and materials used.
My medium of preference is oil based paint. I like oil’s slow drying properties which allow for good blend ability. The down side is you are forced to wait for oil paint to dry between layers of which I use a lot. I’ll use drying agents mixed into the paint, when applicable, which can help speed the process along.
Who are some fellow artists, or artists in general, who have inspired you throughout your career?
Some of the artists that I have appreciated over the years are Gregory Gillespie, Caravaggio, Lucien Freund and Alice Neel for their mastery of portraiture. I’m a huge fan of Edward Hopper, Andrew Wyeth, David Hockney and Neil Welliver for their individual styles in capturing landscapes.
What type of art is your favorite to create?
Aside from commissioned work I paint subject matter that interests me. I can’t put myself in the imaginary position of trying to guess what may be of interest to someone else. Fortunately much of my work is appreciated by others. I paint portraits, still life and landscapes. In general I work from photographic references that I photograph. My images are transferred to my computer screen where I can blow them up allowing me to capture the minutia of the image.
I have a rather large painting of a roller coaster (The Beast), formerly located at Kings’s Island, that took over two and one half years to complete. It would seem that I am somewhat of a glutton for punishment when it comes to the process I have chosen in my paintings. For a while now I have concentrated on images that contain a lot of reflective surfaces. I’ll layer multiple tints of color to attempt to capture the sheen and brilliance found in reflections.
How long does it take you to complete a piece of work?
The detail in my work is extremely time intensive. I have seen beautiful works from various artists that are completed in a matter of days. My works, however, generally take from weeks to months for completion.
Recently, Bruce was commissioned by one of Millcroft Gallery's clients to paint their Vanderhall Venice GT! Check out the photos below of the original photo, final painting and the reveal!
New Arrivals
Sunny Brook
Oil on Canvas
24" x 30"
$1,100
The painting, “Sunny Brook”, represents my memories of an idyllic childhood. A station wagon in the garage, a dog as a pal and acres to explore with the nearest neighbors being my paternal grandparents.
The dog in the painting was a wooden pull toy. It was constructed of a wooden body with a heavy paper covering (complete with frayed edges). It also had painted wooden wheels, metal fasteners, a ceramic tail and plastic ears. Convincingly depicting these disparate materials was the challenge.
When She's Gone (Stockholm)
Oil on Panel
18" x 24"
$2,600
Sitting in a glass booth, waiting for the tram in Stockholm, Sweden. Up she walks…the archetypical Nordic woman.”Gotta get a picture”, I say to myself. She’s having none of it and spins away revealing her back.
Later, I study the photo and realize the reflections in the booth almost make the unwilling model appear as if she is being absorbed by the city itself. Still later, I read an article suggesting that in just a few generations ethnic Swedes will no longer exist. A country with a small population and low reproductive birth rate has taken in immigrants to the tune of 10 percent of their population. The writing is on the wall.
Spring's Promise
Oil on Panel
16" x 20"
$1,200
Swedish winters are tough. Snow, grey skies, dark by 3:00pm and cold. Very cold. Long about mid-May the softening begins. Heavy coats are traded for lighter jackets. There are actually sightings of the sun. And on every rock in every public park sit Swedes of every age with their faces tilted towards the golden glow.
Back of Macy's (NYC)
Oil on Canvas
12" x 16"
$600
It's a collision. A collision of geometric shapes. To make sense of the chaos you have to slow your eyes down. Those long rectangles are the marble skin of a high-rise building. The blue tinged cubes? Air conditioning units. The city emerges.