Bio:
Travis Johnson has spent the last 3 decades developing his craft as a creative and uses his art to explore the human experience by touching on the whimsical, silly, serious, and sometimes painful side of life. He uses the subtle nuances of classic western world iconography to tell a highly illustrated and visually rich narrative. His main artistic inspirations are: Bill Watterson, Justin Bua, Thomas Hart Benton, Kerry James Marshall, Kara Walker, Michael Hafftka, Bill Turner. Along with his visual art, Travis has spent the last 25 years singing throughout the US on various tours with his family singing group Fivacious. He continues to share his music as a solo act throughout the US. Travis was born in Southern California, where he grew up with his 5 siblings in the Mojave Desert. He is currently based out of Olympia, WA.
Artist Statement:
In this ensemble of sculptures and paintings, "Elder to Ancestor 1", "Elder to Ancestor 2", "The Children", "The Complicated Future", and "Breathing While Black", play a dual function as the looker and the performer. Each sculpture holds its own joy, life, and narrative while speaking clearly as kinfolk. The sculptures play in harmony the song, molded by art, machine, and the earth. The "Elder to Ancestors", and "The Children" speak and listen to the narratives expressed in "The Complicated Future" and "Breathing While Black ". This is a visual conversation amongst kinfolk that rises and falls with color, shapes, lines, and textures. These elements hold space for acknowledgement of ancestral truth, trauma, and healing.
Special thanks to: Kellan Kilmer, A.WES,
Sean Barnes, Nicole Gugliotti.