Fine artist Pamela Michelle Johnson sees art as a way to connect with people. She strives to communicate the complexity of the human condition by drawing from her own experiences and reflections on the world around her. Her work juxtaposes ideas and emotions that are commonly experienced in our contemporary culture in an effort to encourage deeper reflection and awareness.

The House series is built upon the concept of home as one of the most emotionally charged subjects in American culture. By depicting a charming and idealized house overpowered by a dark, cloudy canvas, home is seen either as a place of safety from the storm or as a helpless target of a threatening unknown. The images question the experience of home and whether the American dream is truly a source of community or isolation.

Johnson’s work often highlights the juxtaposition of emotions that arise from a single image. Using easily recognized elements of American culture, such as traditional-style houses, she raises questions about our cultural ideals. She applies the same philosophical approach to the American Still-Life series. Following in the tradition of still-life painters throughout history, she created a still-life for our time, based on foods prevalent in the American culture.

In the American Still-Life series, Johnson takes on another fixture of contemporary American life, and does so with no apologies. When confronted with a six-foot tall canvas of enormous and precariously balanced hamburgers, waffles, doughnuts, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the viewer is forced to recognize that the work is about more than alluring junk food. Johnson’s fascination with the phenomena of mass-produced foods comes from viewing those artifacts of our culture as indicative of the state of the culture as a whole. Her goal is to invoke reflection on embracing a culture of complete and instant gratification while ignoring the consequences of our indulgences. Johnson’s skill and craftsmanship is at its best in this series. Her use of intense light and shadow coupled with the exaggerated scale and unique compositions takes classic realism and gives it a contemporary twist.