Them Thar Hills
A series of imposing mountain ranges made from cornices of thick paint, ridges lightly shadowed, and humans hidden in the snow.
Interview by Rosecrans Baldwin
TMN: What is the last mountain you climbed?
Elisa Johns: Mount Whitney.
TMN: How does a new series begin for you?
Elisa Johns: It starts with seeing something meaningful to me—a lake I just hiked to, a Rubens painting, a bird. Continue reading ↓
“Palisades” by Elisa Johns is on view through Nov. 3, 2012, at Kasia Kay Art Projects, Chicago. All images © copyright the artist, all rights reserved. Used with permission.
Interview continued
TMN: Among the paintings in this show, which was the hardest to complete?
Elisa Johns: “Feather Pass.” There were immediately passages of paint I became attached to and it’s scary to push yourself with a painting you don’t want to ruin.
TMN: What does your studio look like?
Elisa Johns: It’s an old courthouse so the space has a strange configuration. I like to paint in a nook beneath a skylight.
TMN: Favorite household appliance?
Elisa Johns: Immersion blender.
TMN: Last time you stood in front of someone else’s painting that you didn’t understand?
Elisa Johns: Well, it wasn’t a painting, but I just saw Charles Ray’s “Cyprus” at the Chicago Art Institute and although I understand the concept and the tree is beautiful, I don’t really get it. Maybe you don’t need to understand everything to appreciate it.
TMN: Have you ever made a painting for a hedge-fund manager?
Elisa Johns: No.
TMN: Do you nap?
Elisa Johns: Never.
TMN: What master of color do you admire?
Elisa Johns: Giorgione. He used such a vibrant palette and really innovated the use of translucent paint to build shimmering atmospheric color.
TMN: Composer you’re most similar to, artistically?
Elisa Johns: I completely relate to Vivaldi.
TMN: What are you afraid of?
Elisa Johns: Wind.
TMN: What trait do you least like in yourself?
Elisa Johns: Shyness.
TMN: What are your steps to begin work each day?
Elisa Johns: Get up, drink coffee, check the market, work out, make tea, turn on Howard Stern, mix paint.
TMN: What trait do you most admire in your fellow Los Angelenos?
Elisa Johns: Obliviousness.