Nely Johnson

As a teenage immigrant from Romania learning English, I painted portraits. I continued painting in college and excelled in French; what could follow more logically from these skills than law. During my 24 years on the Oregon bench, I collected in my spare time objects of everyday life, from games to toys to eggbeaters to bread boxes to coffee pitchers to dominoes to painted furniture. I used them to create spaces in my home that change every month; in fact, every week, and sometimes every day. The digital camera made it easy to experiment, so I started to photograph while traveling in India, Romania, and Mexico. More recently, inspired by La Wilson's work, I have begun creating spaces in boxes like the spaces in my home. With trepidation, I venture into the realm of chairs.

Contact the artist: nely.johnson@gmail.com