Maury Johnston
Where Have You Been? Where Are You Going?
Thesis 鶹ýment
It is a universal experience to move from one place to another;constant transition, in some way, is the human condition. I find it enthrallingthat each of the 8 billion people on earth has their own unique experiencesthat are individual to their person. Thus far, my paintings have conveyedthese concepts in a very literal sense by depicting each subject in a liminalspace. I want these paintings to resonate with the viewer and convey theemotions that transition can bring.
In painting a moment that wasn’t ‘meant’ to be a painting, I am able toexplore the scene, add mystery and push the viewer to imagine what ishappening in the subject’s life. I insert my own twist and create a mood bythe color choices, adding or leaving out elements and altering thereference. I push these paintings until I have reached the point ofcompletion.
I am a portrait painter working primarily from photographs I havetaken during my travels. I focus on images where the subject is unawarethat a photo is being taken and where I usually have no connection to thesubject. For my pieces, I am thinking about how each person I pass livestheir own life and how there are so many people whose lives I will neverknow about. I want the viewer to see each piece and ask “Where have theybeen? Where are they going?”
Now and Then, Oil on Canvas, 48" x 60", 2024
Life Goes On, Oil on Canvas, 48" x 72", 2024
Waiting, Oil on Canvas, 30" x 40", 2024
Work Blues, Oil on Canvas, 30" x 40", 2024
Don't Know Where, But I'm Going, Oil on Canvas, 24" x 36", 2024
Along, Oil on Canvas, 24" x 48", 2024