TSU Library Art Gallery

TSU Library Art Gallery
Presents Art
by
Erin Johnson

Originally, I chose an antique ironing board as a serendipitous foundation for a found object sculpture. It has since become the base for an entire series of works.
The wooden board assumes human form into which various industrial and household objects are integrated to forge distinct personalities. Some are serious; some are whimsical.

Resume

     A graduate of Rhodes College, Erin Johnson has studied with noted artists from America, Europe, and the Orient, including the late Jacques Lipchitz. She is recognized for her vivid paintings and unique sculptures. Her "Ironing Board People", a series of sculptures consisting of antique ironing boards and metal objects, were featured twice on National Public Television's "Tennessee Crossroads".
     Selected works by the artist can be found in galleries across Tennessee including Durrett Gallery, James Ben Gallery, and Midtown Gallery. Additional pieces can be found in corporate, home and permanent museum collections. Erin's most recent honor was being selected for the National Association of Women Artists' permanent collection in the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
     Erin is listed in Who's Who In American Art and has had group and solo shows in various locations including New York City, Ashville, N.C., and Chattanooga, TN.
     Erin is an active supporter and leader in a broad range of art organizations such as The Nashville Artist Guild and The National Association Of Women Artists.

Statement of Intent

In Tennessee one sees a lot of old beautiful objects lying around town. One day, several years ago, an antique wooden ironing board caught my eye, and I began to envision using some of the other objects I had seen and transforming the board into a human form. That one day has since led to several years of collecting ironing boards and giving them personalities of their own. I have studied the techniques behind bronze, clay and tile sculpture in both Europe and the United States, but when I first started to make my ironing board sculptures I needed to learn some more basic techniques of construction. To help get me started, a local "artist tutored me in the skills I was seeking. After my colleague had shown me the fundamentals, I was left to wrestle with the techniques on my own. Countless hours were spent in my studio, trying to figure out how to approach certain problems in the construction of particular sculptures. I emerged, however, twelve years later with a vast amount of knowledge about small-scale construction, and the pride of being the only female customer known by name at the local hardware store.

Erin & Warren Johnson