Paint

Pink bird, inspired by Edward Lear (top left);
work in progress 'Envelope'  (centre, floor)

'I am a painter: I study paint. Early on 
in my career, I was told to develop a style. I do not have a style, I have a theme, which covers thousands of years and is all to do with the way things have been painted - from the cave paintings of Lascau to Picasso, I study the paint and how it is applied, how it is used. I am not influenced by Picasso's 'style' but by his paint.


In abstracts, people look for a picture. Abstract paintings are not about pictures - paint can hold emotion. When looking at a good abstract, you should be feeling it and your mind freed so that your subconscious can make
contact, not your reason.'

There are images and influences that recur in Johnny's work. Envelopes have a long history and significance, and so does Edward Lear, who Johnny admires both as an artist and for his humour and wit.