Last Saturday, C. Steve Johnson presented his latest body of work at Charlie and Cathy Johnson’s stunning waterfront home on Cat Island. It was a spectacular evening with good friends, famed local artists and our favorite USCB scholars in attendance. The intimate environment was a refreshing way to look at and appreciate Johnson’s art. The conceptual nature of Johnson’s work sparked great curiosity and conversation.
Steve relocated to Beaufort from New York City in 2007. A year ago, after doing several shows in NYC, Miami and Berlin with his art collective The Fantastic Nobodies, he finally decided to articulate a conceptual body of work based on his take on the topics of his Southern experience: domesticity (a gorgeous set of black-and-white knives, the last one unfinished adorn Cathy Johnson’s traditional-modern kitchen), spirituality (Buddhist mandalas and sacred titles abound) and form (a silhouette of a pair of sandals is so-abstract-yet-so-clear it plays with the viewer almost as a visual psychological test). As a trained sculptor and wood craftsman, Steve also dedicated much time to the art of framing each piece with a custom, unique approach. The work is at times minimalistic, graphic and full of poetry, literally.
Artist C. Steve Johnson has lived and worked all over the world, but he is best known in New York City as one of the Williamsburg pioneer artists of the mid-nineties. Steve is also the enrichment coordinator at E.C. Montessori & Grade School on Lady’s Island.
The great news is that Beaufortonians will soon see the work in a public space downtown; but, in the meantime, the show will be up for viewing and for sale until May 21 on Cat Island. Prices range between $200-$2,000. Please contact steeljawbone@yahoo.com or call 646-229-8877 or 843-522-9659.
