Watercolors

One Man Watercolor Shows [Back to top of page]

Each year since 1980 Bruce Johnson has traveled abroad to paint, first to England, then Germany, Austria, Holland, China, the former Yugoslavia, Provence, France, the former Soviet Union, Switzerland, Italy, Ireland, Greece...and of course many local Pennsylvania scenes. These trips provide a get-a-way; a chance to work outside, and actually become involved the people and their villages. The color, light, and feeling of each country is different, and he captures those nuances in his paintings. In England the skies were captivating; in Holland, water and reflections became his main theme. The people and their way of life in the market place, and on the waterways, caught his attention in China. While working abroad, the weather usually dictates the number of finished paintings he brings back. However, upon returning to his Annville studio, he works for several months, using his sketches and photographs as reference. Following each trip, he has had a one-man show in his own gallery, Gallery 444 LTD. Each show has had beween 65 to 125 original paintings, and the results of these shows have been pheonomenal over the last fourteen years. Due to the success of these shows, there are few original paintings available in other galleries. Thus, Bruce has decided to publish limited edition prints which will make his work available to others. Bruce has recently developed his watercolors in silkscreened prints, which are hand-pulled limited editions. Some of his "Statements" have also been complete as hand-pulled lithographs. The printing is supervised by Bruce and only the highest quality papers are used. Each print is hand signed and numbered.

Some comments from the artist [Back to top of page]

"In watercolor I thrive on the challenge of each painting. I always begin with a preconceived idea of what I want the finished painting to look like. However, due to the nature of watercolor, something accidental may happen in the initial stages that I find very exciting, and the whole concept of the painting will change. Watercolor is spontaneous and there is constant movement of water and color on the paper. A watercolor is very physical because of the speed a which you have to work at times. Decisions and correction are constantly being made, and that creates intensity, involvement, and sometimes frustration. The versatility of watercolor allows you to be very free or very controlled. The technique itself can become more important than the subject you're painting." - Bruce Johnson