Philadelphia Freedom

Featuring
Artist Profile- Cynthia Farrell Johnson
What a difference a doodle makes

PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM

Last weekend I went to Philly for the day to hang out.  The hometown of all my extended family.  I hung out with my good friend Terri and her daughter Zoe, who turned 10yrs old earlier in the week. Upon arriving, we decided where we wanted to go, it was unanimous! food was first on the list!  We ate at a Mexican restaurant named  Johnny Manana's.The Watermelon Margaritas were the best! The drinks were served in a mason jar, and the food was great! We watched the first of several downpours from the restaurant. The sun stayed out the entire time.


We went on a short drive through the city, and went past the old jail that's now used for tours and serves as one of the best haunted houses around Halloween.  Afterwards, we went to Abington Arts Center, which has a  27 acre Sculpture Park, where we walked along the winding path and looked at the outdoor sculpture.  It was quiet in the park, we saw only two other people walking around. As we walked, we saw deer in the thick brush that ran off when they saw us.  It was so cool!  The park had a lot of sculpture that worked well with the environment.  There were a few pieces that didn't quite belong there, I thought.  My favorites were the giant faces cut out of fallen tree trunks, & stumps, Cabin Van Gogh, and  skulls and flowers on a pole. We could hear the rain falling through the trees sounding somewhat like a rain stick.  It wasn't hard enough to reach the ground.The sun was out the whole time!


We went to an army surplus store to find a backpack and take a look in Plato's closet, a thrift store located in Montgomeryville, just outside the city. While we were in another thrift store, it began to pour down raining.  For the time being, we were trapped in the store with no umbrella and the car too far away to run quickly to. Thank goodness for natural hair! Someone had to get wet, thanks Terri for the save, she ran to the car in the downpour.  

We ended up at Terri's house to dry off. After changing into her Wellington rain boots and knee highs (she looked so cute), we talked about her work. She is a wonderful artist. She works with wire armatures and makes masks using a mud mix recipe that she has perfected. She has armatures of small children, babies, and pregnant women.  Terri uses a Mig welder to put the armatures together or uses chicken wire. She also draws and does wonderful imagery of women and children.  It's always so interesting to visit her and to see what's she's been up to. Seeing her work in person is so much better than email.  I can touch it in person!, ask a million questions, and have a creative dialog that inspires us both. Have to admit, I'm a little jealous of her ability to float between the disciplines fluidly,(I mainly sculpt) but she promised to show me the "Jedi master drawing tricks!" So I too, the Jedi drawing apprentice can learn to float fluidly between the disciplines like a Jedi warrior woman! Watchouttherenow!


Despite the rain it was still a good day to hang out in Philly for a change. Needed some different scenery. But Chocolate City will always be the place to be, no matter where I end up.

The one day trip via Megabus was less expensive than trying to get around D.C. to multiple events, eat and travel home.  We went to Philly for $34.50 (2 ppl) round trip from Union Station. Other than food and a backpack, we spent less than $80 for the entire day. That's a cheap trip!

ARTIST PROFILE

CYNTHIA FARRELL JOHNSON

Great Gettin' Up Morning 

Cynthia Farrell Johnson is an amazing artist. Her influences are evident. One major influence that comes through is Romare Bearden. Her images are filled with color, pattern and are vibrant with life, rhythm and music which is reminiscent of Bearden’s work.

Cynthia is a very busy woman.  She shared her excitement about her new space, current works and inspirations.

"Right now, she is moving into new studio space at the Pyramid Atlantic Community Art Center on Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring (http://www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org).  It is a great environment and the staff and artists there are welcoming and supportive.  The projects under way right now are holiday cards for the coming season and preparing for art markets in Annapolis and other venues (see bottom). She is also working on two commissions, one of which will be a carnival scene from Latin America.  It has been fun going through my photos from carnival in Panama (I lived there from 1985 - 1989).

Imagine.Create.Celebrate

Cynthia Farrell Johnson is a fan of vibrant colors.  Her works in gouache and acrylic have been inspired by the people she met and places where she lived during 25 years of globetrotting as a U.S. diplomat.  Service in West Africa, Central and South America exposed her to a wide variety of artistic traditions and forms of expression.  Her role models are Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Faith Ringgold and Vincent Van Gogh.  Johnson currently makes her home in Silver Spring, Maryland, and draws much of her inspiration for themes and color schemes from the Washington, D.C. region’s rich, cultural diversity. 

Bathsheba

Johnson is a member of the Rockville Art League, Strathmore, and the Washington chapter of Women’s Caucus for Art.  More of her work can be seen in local venues, including the Parish Gallery of Georgetown, in Washington, D.C.   In  2011, Johnson was Artist-in-Residence at Wesley Theological Seminary’s Luce Center for the Arts & Religion.  Two years prior to that, she was Artist-in-Residence at Iona Senior Services.   Her cards and prints are available at Art Spring, the retail store for The Pyramid Atlantic Community Art Center, Zawardi art and gifts on U Street NW, and the Sandy Spring Museum Gift Shop.
 Johnson’s paintings have been exhibited overseas in cultural centers and galleries in Africa and in Latin America.  As a participant in the Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program, Ms. Johnson has placed her work in U.S. ambassadorial residence in Niger, Nicaragua, Serbia, Ecuador, and Panama.

Winter's Journey

Kitchen Twitchin' Tools

To learn more, visit www.cfjfinearts.com.  

Now Showing:
RE/USING OUR RESOURCES
Eco-Art Exhibit
June 13 - September 9, 2012
Sandy Spring Museum

First Sunday Arts Festival in Annapolis
August 5, September 2, October 7

Fenton Street Market in Silver Spring
 October 6

Also ... Check out the Parish Gallery back room!

Parish Gallery of Georgetown
http://www.parishgallery.com

What A Difference a Doodle Makes

This is a rare sharing moment.  My work is mainly sculpture and I prefer to sketch doing gestural drawing as opposed to rendering life like images.  However, a few years ago, I started a doodling project with my middle school students.  The intent was to get them to draw without thought.  They produced a series of gestural drawings of each other.  Willing students stood on  a chair and held a pose for 30 to 60 seconds and the class would draw them. The drawings became pieces that could be used in other projects.  These "doodles" have taken on a life of their own. At first each piece incorporated a remnant piece of student work, words and writings personal to me.  Six years later, doodles like these are part of a sketch book kept just for them. Some pieces use cut paper, tissue paper,or the muted color from a marker used on the previous page that soaked through somewhat. Fine point and ultra fine point markers and sharpies are great for drawing them.  There is no intent to display these pieces, they fulfill the need to draw.  There is no intimidation with free flowing images, because there is no right or wrong.  Unlike drawing to render or create an image for others, doodles don't require shading or shadow or 3-d drawing techniques. Just  lines and shapes of my choosing. I often use these as my cover image for facebook.

So to all those who think sculpture is all I do! It is!, Then there is doodling.


Well my post comes to a close once again.  Thank you reading.  Will see you next time....

Same blog time, Same blog channel!