In the heart of American mythology, the romanticism of the West is a main artery. Whole genres of literature and film are devoted to filling this vein with rich iconography and heroism, while keeping it clear of the calcifying truths of the difficulty of occupying such a landscape-both what it means for the human beings who inhabit it and for the land itself. Anna Elise Johnson’s Earthworks: West Texas, now on view at Cris Worley Fine Arts in Dallas through August 14, draws heavily from the mythology of the west, especially its deserts. Her title, and the works themselves, also speak to the sort of self-mythologizing engaged in by land artists of the 1970’s, in particular Robert Smithson of Spiral Jetty fame. Although in Johnson’s process-based paintings, “the myth gets tested by the physical reality.”
In August the artist will mount an exhibition of similarly-constructed works at Maple St. Construct in Omaha, Nebraska, an artist-run space that describes itself as “bridging the discourse between artists from Los Angeles to the Midwest.” Johnson knows these works, deeply linked to place, will have an entirely new feel. “In Nebraska they have soil. Earth is linked to a very specific landscape,” she explains. “There’s not that much deep red earth around. In the whole U.S, it’s pretty minimal compared to other colors.”
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Anna Elise Johnson
Earthworks (Cibolo Creek Road I), 2021
earth, plaster, watercolor
58h x 44w in
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Anna Elise Johnson
Earthworks (Ranch Road 2810 I), 2021
earth, plaster, watercolor
52h x 38w in
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Anna Elise Johnson
Earthworks (Ranch Road 2810 II), 2021
earth, plaster, watercolor
52h x 38w in
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Anna Elise Johnson
Earthworks (Hwy 90), 2021
earth, plaster, watercolor
62h x 90w in
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Anna Elise Johnson
Earthworks (Hwy 67 I), 2021
earth, plaster, watercolor
48h x 72w in
—CASEY GREGORY