#AllCoopedUp with Eric Ernest Johnson, Artist
Eric and I met through mutual friends and quickly realized we had a lot in common. I am a huge fan of his work and love to hear his stories about growing up in LA (specifically on the block where I currently live)! His paintings bring a smile to my face and a sense of playfulness and joy to any space they inhabit. Lucky for us, a few of his delightful creations are hanging on the walls at +COOP and are available for purchase. Come take a look -- I promise it will brighten your day. - Jenna
What is your profession and what is your favorite thing about your work?
I am an artist, and my favorite thing is the ability to visualize my ideas, visions, dreams with my hands, to create something out of nothing, to communicate with color, form, and feel.
How would you describe the aesthetic of your paintings? How has your aesthetic changed over the years?
I like all mediums. I often use color and pattern play, and I like to tell stories in my work. I have always let the art become itself -- sometimes I’m drawing a city, but next might be a totem of shapes with zero narrative.
“First thought, best thought.” -- I have never strayed from that mantra since childhood. Someone once said my exhibitions look like a group show because the work is all so varied, not one style, and I don’t mind that -- I’m actually going for that. I am not limited to one mode, or one frame.
Where do you find inspiration?
All nature, trees, animals, birds and bugs, the ocean, sun and moon and stars, my dreams….
What advice can you share with people who are looking to develop their art collection?
Buy and collect what you like, not what someone tells you is good….and support artists of all ages.
What are your favorite pieces of art in your home?
We have a few pieces of my favorite artist Niki de Saint Phalle, a large copper sun sculpture my father bought in Mexico City when I was a child, a photograph of a storm in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean by Nico Jenkins, and a treasured oil painting by Mary Woronov.
What is your favorite room in your house, and why?
The living room -- it’s where we spend most of our time, where we play with our cats Pearl and Sonny, where we make music, eat meals, dance, look out the window over the canyon to the sea, read a good book, and play chess or Chinese checkers. There's no TV, and I have an art table and easel right in the middle, so it’s a very magical, productive, creative space.
Can you share a few favorite local businesses in your neighborhood?
We live in the Palisades. I ride my bike everywhere, so anything westside is local. Anawalt Lumber, the Brentwood Country Mart, Record Surplus for LP’s, Topanga Creek Outpost, Big Dean’s, Ele Keats and Seasons on Montana.
What are your favorite art galleries in Los Angeles?
L.A. Louvrer Gallery, Gagosian, and Watts Towers.
Any last words before we go?
BE HERE NOW… Use less plastic, ride your bike more, use your car less, support bookshops, pray for rain, be kind to one another.
SHOP THE STORY
