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EMMETT JOHNS TO RECEIVE DOOR COUNTY ART LEAGUE
2010 MASTER’S AWARD AT PUBLIC RECEPTION
FOR OPENING OF 24TH ANNUAL JURIED EXHIBIT
Annually, the Door County Art League has the distinct pleasure of naming the Door County Master Artist. This year at the opening of the League’s 24th Annual Juried Exhibit, the very well-known, well-respected, and prolific artist Emmett Johns will be presented the 2010 award. Johns’ studio and gallery are on Highway 42 in Fish Creek, and he also works in a studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He draws and paints in a variety of mediums.
The Masters Reception and opening of the Juried Exhibit will be held on Sunday, September 12th, from 1:00 until 3:00 PM at the Link Gallery, located in the Door Community Auditorium, 3926 Highway 42, Fish Creek. The public is invited to peruse League members’ new artwork and meet the 2010 Master Artist and see some of his favorite pieces. Hors d’oeuvres will be served, and Steve Lavell will entertain guests on the classical guitar.
Three Awards of Excellence and six Honorable Mentions will be awarded to participants of the 24th Annual Juried Exhibit. 2009 Master Artist Margaret Lockwood, whose Woodwalk Gallery with its straw-bale studio in a beautiful 1890s revitalized Door County barn is located in Egg Harbor, and Bonnie Hartmann, Director of the Miller Art Museum in Sturgeon Bay, will judge the exhibit. A People’s Choice Award will also be given. The exhibit will remain in the Link Gallery until Tuesday, October 12th.
The selection of Door County Master Artist is an overwhelming, yet wonderful, task. To choose those persons who are to be so designated and inducted into a group, the likes of whom include Lockwood, Ed Fenendael, Gerhard Miller, Phil Austin, Jack Anderson, Abe Cohn, Isabel Beaudoin, and Franne Dickinson, is a tremendous job. The committee that screens these talented people has parameters that were set by the League’s Board of Directors many years ago.
The Master Artist must have publicly recognized talents, a body of work representing a high level of achievement in his or her field, and must have contributed significantly to the arts in Door County through community involvement, teaching, and/or promoting the arts. Exhibit Chairperson JoAnne Rosenfeld says, “Emmett’s choice as the 2010 Door County Master celebrates the creative, productive, and ever- evolving career of one of Door County’s most well-beloved artists. His abundant work embodies what defines the best of Door County art. This year the committee consisted of David Hackett, Sally Everhardus, Barbara Kenyon, Randy Rasmussen, and myself, who are elated and privileged to make this selection.”
Johns was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois. He attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago for one semester; then he moved to California where he studied at the Los Angeles Art Center College of Design and majored in illustration. In 1968, after graduation, Johns worked as an illustrator and portrait artist first in New York City, then Chicago, before moving to New Mexico where he opened his studio and began working as a fine artist. Since 1973, he has spent much of the year working in Fish Creek.
Johns has three bodies of work: abstract/contemporary, portrait/figurative, and landscapes. He says his abstract impressionism is influenced strongly by Richard Diebenkorn. He credits the great master Cezanne for having an impact on his landscape art and says his portrait business has not only been a way to make money but has given him the opportunity to meet interesting people. Of portrait painting, Johns states, “I truly enjoy one-on-one encounters and, especially, the challenge of doing a one-hour portrait.”
Johns studied with Harry Carmean, a master draughtsman who had devoted his entire life to studying and teaching the works of the old masters, at the Los Angeles Art Center College of Design. Johns says drawing has from the start been his strength, and he draws nearly every day. His sketching evolved into journaling, and he has a body of sketch works lasting nearly 50 years.
Johns’ love of the Door County countryside is so illustrated in his landscapes that an observer can almost hear the sounds and smell the aromas of the region. He states, “There is nothing like being out in nature and allowing yourself to become completely absorbed with the surroundings.”
Johns’ abstract paintings are a part of a continuous flow of work; each new piece is influenced by the preceding painting. His love of jazz has played an important role in his abstract work, as he admires the freedom of improvisation and the development of a theme. He says he may stand in front of an abstract for an hour without making a brush stroke, then all of a sudden his hand is dancing across the paper or canvas and the piece is transformed.
Johns, who believes that after more than four decades of painting his best work is still to come, is passionate about his painting and drawing and looks forward to the challenges ahead. When notified by Rosenfeld that he was this year’s selection, Johns said, “I am tremendously honored to be chosen the 2010 Door County Master Artist. I don’t really consider myself a ‘master,’ so I am extremely humbled to be included with those who preceded me. I am fortunate to live in such a flourishing arts community as Door County. The extensive talent surrounding me, along with the beauty of this place, inspires me. Thank you so much for this award.”
During his illustrious career, Johns has had numerous art exhibits throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, New Mexico, Washington, and New York, just to name a few. His art is in permanent collections in Illinois, Ohio, New Mexico, and Wisconsin. His work will be shown at Mr. Helsinki’s in Fish Creek in October and also in the upcoming Miller Art Museum “Past and Present Group Invitational.” His books include 711 Life Drawings 2008, Garden Party Drawings, I Thought You Were the Picture; and his next book will be Head Drawings. Many of his drawings are in the book Bar Code.
Nearly 300 members strong, the Door County Art League was organized in 1986 and incorporated in 1993 for the purpose of developing active community involvement in the field of creative arts. Membership is open to artists and all other persons interested in and supportive of the visual arts in Door County. Since the first season, the League has offered a variety of programs to members and guests wishing to enrich their lives through the knowledge, use, and enjoyment of art. To learn more about the League, visit www.doorcountyartleague.org. For more information on the 24th Annual Juried Exhibit and Master’s Presentation, contact Rosenfeld at 920-559-7530.
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