Rebecca Johnson: Light as Blue Exhibition

Three hundred pounds of granite moves and feels differently than three hundred pounds of blue.

Stone embodies and imbues time. Liquid magma spews from the earth’s core, merges with air or seawater, and as it cools, forms granite and basalt. I find this elemental and alchemical process fascinating. I live in the Pacific Northwest along the ring of fire, an active volcanic geographic area. Therefore, basalt is a readily available stone.

When making art I also go through an alchemical process. I take a nebulous idea and transform it into a painting or sculpture. When I carved the sculpture, memory of rain, I cut and polished the solid basalt, pulling the concept of water from the stone, melding its molten origins into the shape of raindrops or tears.

The land is the source of my materials and the primary source of my ideas. I combine materials and inspiration of place with views and thoughts of blue sky, moving water or the color of light. How much color, how simple a shape, how I place them next to each other, this is what brings my work to life.

There exists an energy or force called chi, here in Mendocino we might call it vibe, I call it zing. I feel the presence of this elusive force in all things. It is this power that I study and cultivate in my art.

Combined in unequal measure, raw materials and ideas balance into beauty.