Today’s Organ Thing of the Day come to you via Don’t Walk Walk Gallery, a gallery based in Deal, an English seaside town in a Kent and a gallery who proudly proclaim “no boats, no seagulls, no beachhuts” I don’t know, I always thought seagulls ad a hint of punk rock about them. “Don’t Walk Walk opened in March 2017. We are an independent gallery in Deal, Kent boasting a ‘punk rock’ ethic and a strong desire to offer something a little different”. Today the gallery have posted a short film featuring artist James Johnston.
“Artist and Musician James F Johnston is no stranger to the darker narrative. Fronting his own band Gallon Drunk and subsequently, playing with Faust, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds to more recently with PJ Harvey he has a wealth of experience to pull from. This interview finds James in lockdown due to Covid-19 but he shares insights into his painting practise and gives us a candid tour of his studio, which in his words “has been a lifeline of late””
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James has featuured on these Organ pages a number of times both in terms of his painting and his music, he recently featured as part of Cultivate’s #43Artists on-line show that was and indeed still is hosted here via Organ, those images just down there are from that #43Artists show.
Further reading –
- 71: JAMES JOHNSTON – ‘I opened my eyes, Joe. The night had been a giant, dribbling and pacing the boards.’. A larger painting RECENTLY included in a show CALLED: ‘Words that transform, vibrate and glow: 13 paintings inspired by the lyrics of Nick Cave’, that happened at Charlie Smith Gallery in London back in January 2020.
- 70: JAMES JOHNSTON – “Empty chair. Lambeth North”, 12″ x 8″. 2017, pastel and gouache on paper.
- 69: JAMES JOHNSTON -‘The dumb room / self portrait as red monkey devil’,12″ x 16.5″. 2017. Pastel and gouache on paper.
- 68: JAMES JOHNSTON – “Doctor with stick”.12″ x 8″. 2017. Gouache and pastel on paper.
- 67: JAMES JOHNSTON – “Quarantine” – Acrylic on 80cm x 60cm canvas.
- 66: JAMES JOHNSTON – ‘The Reading Room’. Acrylic on 70cm x 50cm canvas.
- 65: JAMES JOHNSTON – “Detention Centre”. Acrylic and gold paste on 76cm x 61cm canvas
- 64: JAMES JOHNSTON – “Party hat”.Acrylic and gold paste on 40cm x 30cm canvas