Jeremiah Johnson

About the Images

The work of Jeremiah Johnson is a clear example of first person narrative.  His distinctly decorative prints and paintings deal directly with his own experience; each piece illustrates his daily inner workings.  Johnson’s written observations are a part of almost every piece.  Scribbled in the margins or scrawled across the entirety of the work, his voice becomes a visual element as well as a narrative device.  Drawing on or over advertisements, Johnson recast models and celebrities as characters in his grand narrative.  He consumes popular culture and thoroughly makes it his own.  Every obsession is magnified and every thought (no matter how mundane) is given equal importance.  The rambling narrative is generous to the point of over-saturation.

“I want people to have to spend time looking at my pictures, so I put a lot of information in them to look at.  Too much is never enough for me anymore.” 

Johnson’s sheer volume of visual input makes it necessary to drift in and out of each narrative he creates.                                         

• Cindy Moore, (art critic) “Modern Narrative”www.ducts.org Issue #12 Winter 2003