Joe Lamar Johnson has been living in Paris and developing his career as an artist there since 1998. We first became aware of his works at an exhibit held at the American Cathedral about six years ago, and have been fascinated by the development of his artistic vision ever since.
We recently interviewed Johnson at his studio in the Parisian suburb of Pantin, where his latest works, entitled Corsets, adorn the wall. He created these works for his most recent show, held at the 6th Afro-Caribbean Plastic Arts Salon of the city of Grigny in May 2009. He was the honored invité for this exhibit. Johnson is a portraitist whose works emphasize the face and the eyes. He says that he “loves expressions and loves eyes” and finds that eyes can be very communicative even when the rest of the face remains somewhat impassive. For this reason, he closely crops his portraits so that the viewer’s attention remains focused on the face. As a former athlete, Johnson also appreciates the human physique, and has portrayed the torso, limbs, and even the skull, embellished with paint and tattoos, in his paintings. He believes that tattoos and body paint serve as armor, and that although people so adorned might, in reality, be vulnerable, they feel protected. For his series Corsets, Johnson’s torsos are dressed in attire inspired by the beaded garments worn by the Dinka tribe in southern Sudan.
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