FIVE x SEVEN Interview: Mark Johnson's Words Jump Off the Page

"TRYING TO ROW AWAY" by Mark Johnson, 48" x 48"

Arthouse’s 5x7
Friday, May 14 - Sunday, May 16
Whitley Building (301 Brazos St.)
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Austin has been kind to Mark Johnson. Having lived in the city for less than two years, Johnson has been a memorable part of two East Austin Studio Tours, shown in a variety of group shows, and shared an exhibit with the prolific Debra Broz. Johnson paints, draws, and creates multimedia work out of an upstairs studio in the east side art megaplex, Pump Project. Much of his work involves text and letters - sometimes with direct messages, others that are a little harder to decipher. Johnson's typewriter sits prominently in his studio, and was featured in a live video projection piece performed at E.A.S.T. last year. Johnson is among hundreds of artists who submitted work for Arthouse's 5x7 - the exhibit continues through the weekend with the Art Social taking place tonight. We got to talk to Mark about his work and his experience in Austin thus far.

Letters seem to play a big role in your recent work - will we see some type in your 5x7 piece?

Yes, the majority of the canvas for my 5x7 artwork is made up of letters. The text is a phrase that relates to my latest work that was in the show, Fifth Business, exhibited at Pump Project this past February.

A lot of your latest work jumps off the canvas, with pieces that protrude a few feet off the wall. Did you feel constrained to make a flatter, more 2D piece for 5x7?

I really wanted to create something that came off the wall quite a bit for the 5x7 exhibition, but the size limited how far I could physically come off the canvas. I feel very comfortable with the smaller scale though. When I was living in Brooklyn, the scale of my work was greatly limited because I didn't have the space to make large work. It forced me to work smaller. It was very freeing when I moved to Austin, but most of my drawings are still around this size.

How long have you had your studio at Pump Project? What is it like to work so closely with so many of Austin's most prolific artists?

I have had my studio at Pump Project since I moved here about a year and a half ago. I think Pump Project is a great facility because it is really involved in the Austin art scene and has a program of constantly rotating exhibitions. This helps refresh and rejuvenate the creative atmosphere in the studios. Though we are a diverse group of artists, we feed off of each other.

Follow this post after the jump to read about which artists Mark wants to work with and where you can find his art around town.