Mr. Perry Johnson

Artist’s Statement
Man is the measure of all things – or so goes the humanist axiom. Both individually and collectively, we are capable of greatness. My current body of work is an inquiry into our stewardship of humanist ideals. What have we achieved and what of our humanity?

Work that engages our faculties and satisfies our senses is a blessing not afforded us all. For every fulfilled and actualized worker, there are a multitude of button pressers, lever pullers, and pencil pushers. Work has efficiently been reduced to mere labor. The individual is brought to the level of a machine.

Truth is strange and sometimes our best response is to laugh. I enjoy puns – playing with the relationships between the visual and the verbal. There is allegory and insinuation. Layered meanings allow connections to be made on many levels. On viewing the work, consider the multiple paths for interpretation.

Education

• MFA – Painting & Printmaking, East Tennessee State University
• BFA – Printmaking, Virginia Intermont College