ARTIST STATEMENT
Cut Away: Reduction Relief Prints
Eric A. Johnson
The focus of my work, throughout my career, has been conceptualizing my personal experience into pieces that the viewer can relate to, regardless of their background or experience with the images presented. The method/way I do this has changed drastically as my career has progressed, although the intent has remained relatively stable.
As I work, I put myself, if only very briefly, into the feelings of my audience; this has always been the goal of my work: to provide an escape into a feeling of wonder and miracle from a world that is often full of misery, negative happenstance, and mundane tasks.
About the Artist
Eric A. Johnson is a printmaker and painter known for works that exhibit bold color, expressive line work, and emotionally charged imagery. Raised as the youngest of six children on a farm near Embden, North Dakota, Eric’s early life was shaped by the rhythms of rural work and the quiet, expansive landscapes that continue to influence his artistic voice.
Eric discovered his passion for printmaking while studying at North Dakota State University, where he became deeply connected to the reduction relief technique pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Hidalgo Arnéra. He later earned his MFA from the University of North Dakota, where he began developing the cityscape series that remains central to his practice.
Over more than two decades, Eric has built a significant regional presence as both an artist and educator. He has taught at area colleges and universities and has served as Master Printer in the NDSU Visual Arts Department for multiple editions through the university’s PEARS program. His work has been featured in solo exhibitions at The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum and in traveling exhibitions across North Dakota and Montana, which have earned recognition for emotional depth and technical mastery.
Eric is the founder of Big Oak Press, his printmaking studio in Hillsboro, North Dakota, where he continues to produce new work and explore the expressive possibilities of his art.