Loose, Gestural Style: The Art Portfolio of Michael Louis Johnson
Michael Louis Johnson is a painter born and currently based in New York. A lifelong artist, Michael uses his artistic practice to depict a range of subject matter -- often scenery and places from his hometown -- in a loose, gestural style.
I really enjoy the sketched, slightly impromptu air that Michael’s paintings have about them. The artist doesn’t seem overly concerned with details but instead focuses on obtaining a holistic view of a space, using simplified colour, shape, and line. Though loosely painted the works are often surprisingly detailed. Each of Michael’s scenes seem fully realized, alive with buildings, cars, houses, foreground and background.
The front page of Michael's art portfolio website
Many of Michael’s works capture the organized chaos of urban living -- both in the geometric forms of buildings and high rises, but also in the quiet, packed spaces of apartment interiors. The frenetic, sometimes clashing colours of floors, furniture, clothes, and various other detritus are represented evenly. The paintings feel intimate and personal in a way, though they betray few details about their subjects.
