ART: Ynez Johnston Retro View

"A Fantasy Voyage"

I loved this charming Klee-Picasso näif woman artist when I saw her work in 2010 at a modest exhibit at Valley College. Since then she had a large exhibit at the Mingei Museum in San Diego, wish I’d seen that too.

 I see maps, buildings jumbled together, in a graphic illustrator-artist style that looks very 1950’s to me.  I also love the synthetic expression of the influence the places and artists she has made.  What joy she must take in traveling the the great world.  It’s an overwhelming cacophony; the memories, experiences, sought out with great vigor and attention.  “...This is her characteristically obsessive approach to composition, which makes even modest-sized works seem to hold a small and mysterious universe. Yes, she exoticizes, but she also exalts. Some early work, such as “Tomb of the Rajah,” are architectural and detailed in their neat stacking of buildings.” - Scarlet Cheng in Visual Artsource Online. 

“...This is her characteristically obsessive approach to composition, which makes even modest-sized works seem to hold a small and mysterious universe. Yes, she exoticizes, but she also exalts. Some early work, such as “Tomb of the Rajah,” are architectural and detailed in their neat stacking of buildings.” - Scarlet Cheng in Visual Artsource Online.