CPC Small Print Show: Eric A. Johnson

This blog is part of a series of interviews of participating artists / printmakers in the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative Small Print Show.

Eric Johnson. Vision 2. 2007.
Reduction relief print, 22 1/4" x 13 1/4".

Raised on a farm in eastern North Dakota, Eric A. Johnson earned a BS degree in art from North Dakota State University (NDSU) and an MFA in printmaking from the University of North Dakota. He currently teaches at NDSU, has taught printmaking at Minnesota State University Moorhead, and recently served on the planning committee for the 2008 Mid America Print Council Conference. Since 2005, he has interned with P.E.A.R.S. (printmaking education and research studio) at NDSU, and has assisted master printer Kent Kapplinger with the studio, classes, and shop duties. For the past 7 years, Eric has worked on his prints and exhibited both regionally and nationally. Influenced by nature, emotions, and society, Eric focuses on reduction relief prints using a PVC board called Sintra.

Eric Johnson. Tree #2. 2005.
Reduction relief print, 24" x 18".

"I devote my creative energy to the linocut process. I use the reductive method, carving a layered tapestry of interwoven lines that manifest as expressive trees glowing and vibrating in their brilliantly hued fantasy landscapes."

Eric's 2008 exhibitions include: Kent Kapplinger & Eric Johnson: Printmakers New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, New York Mills, MN; The Art of Propaganda , Juried Exhibition, UpFront Gallery, Fargo, ND; Printmaker’s Glossary, Spirit Room Gallery, Fargo, ND; Spirit of Place, Juried Exhibition, New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, New York Mills, MN; 16th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, MacRostie Art Center, Grand Rapids, MN; The 49th Midwestern - An Invitational Exhibition of Fine Art, The Rourke Art Gallery Museum, Moorhead, MN; The Big Art Show - FMVA Group Exhibition, Heritage Hjemcomst Interpretive Center, Moorhead, MN; Urban Folk, Capstone Gallery at FrameUps, Minneapolis, MN; Eric A. Johnson & Guillermo Gaurdia, 3rd Street Gallery, Grand Forks, ND; 37th Annual Area Invitational Art Show, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Fergus Falls, MN; The Great Winter Crow Show, Spirit Room Gallery, Fargo, ND; Polka Dots & Crooked Trees, Atwood Memorial Center Gallery, St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN; ArtView - Still: Prints by Eric A. Johnson, Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND.

Eric Johnson. Moon Over Monday. 2008.
Reduction relief print, 31" x 20 1/4".

For more information on Eric and his art, go to http://www.eajarts.com, http://www.gallery514.com, and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eric-A-Johnson/.