ROBIN JOHNSON : Works : Golden Hills

Works > Golden Hills

GOLDEN HILLS

There is often an idealized and romanticized perception of life in California that differs from the lived experience of those who reside here. There is a duality that exists; between nature and manufactured – beauty and destruction – between celebrity and hardship. Determined by notions of luck or chance, my work evokes the variety of these geographic, psychological, and symbolic spaces.

The series of drawings Woven depicts classic straw hats that represent personal memories of specific places while simultaneously standing as symbols of Californian’s culture of labor or leisure.

The August Complex diptych (Leadbetter and Back Bay), captures recollections of the orange haze of wildfire smoke as it engulfs deserted destinations, both serene and destructive.

*uck is a mixed media work that ties back to my background in graphic design. It uses a layered gilt process reminiscent of Hollywood Regency design. The use of the asterisk, also symbolic of a flower, creates a pattern of layers and ambiguity. Like our experience of California, the work is both beautiful and gritty as the viewer is asked to interpret the language. Does the text reference “luck”, “duck”...?

In Golden Hills, I craft a mound of 500 worn horseshoes gathered from different ranches to reflect the mirages and facades emblematic of California’s western tradition.

The oil on panel painting of a common plastic bag, Thank you represents the juxtaposition of our care for the environment (printed with an image of a California poppy) with our toxic consumer culture.