The Art Box

Art Box - Episode 20 - Live Auction Rundown with Liz and Floyd

Listen in as Liz and Floyd explain how our Live Auction works on October 14 and they discuss some of the valuable and fun items.

The Art Box - Episode 19 - Meet Kim Garrison Means

Kim Garrison is a conceptual artist, writer and musician from Southern California and the Nevada desert, with a love of nature, mythology, philosophy, cultural anthropology and earth sciences. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University Long Beach and an MFA in sculpture and New Genres from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
An educator in the arts for over twenty years, Kim is the former head of the Narrative Illustration Program at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, and is a curator for the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion. She currently teaches drawing and professional studies classes in the art department at OCC. Kim is a member of the band The New City Farmers, and plays a number of instruments, including guitar, washboard, and glockenspiel. She is an amateur naturalist, a student of the Mojave desert, and an appreciator of all the good things in life. She lives with her husband Leland and a crack commando crew of furry animals.

The Art Box - Episode 18 - Meet Rayette Martin

I found art when I was uprooted from my home in Alaska and transplanted in Sacramento during my Junior year in High school. My classes didn’t line up between the schools and I was able to take multiple art classes each semester to make up for it. Visual arts became my passion and a great way to express my feelings about leaving my friends and dealing with the culture shock of being in a big city.
My formal training ended when I graduated high school but the use of art as self-expression has continued for the last 28 years. I became a stepmother in 2014 and have focused on creating fun colorful animals ever since. Each animal is quirky with imperfections. As an artist, this alleviates the anxiety I feel when trying to replicate nature while illustrating that we do not live in a perfect world, we are not perfect, and that is what makes life interesting.
 
I have also been able to use my artistic skills in my work as a public archaeologist and graffiti removal specialist. I am constantly thinking of how to present archaeological information visually to a diverse array of audiences. The goal of most of my education is to promote the preservation of Nevada’s cultural heritage sites. Since 2013, I have been assisting with large graffiti removal projects at petroglyph and pictograph sites. Carefully removing paint and camouflaging the damage from scratching into the rock surface has become a passion of mine. It is a tedious but rewarding activity that makes me feel like I am bringing healing to an important cultural area for local Tribes.

The Art Box - Episode 17 - ’Ten Minutes with Floyd’ - Picking Two Pieces of Art - Mini Episode

Floyd let's your co-hosts pick two pieces of his art for him to tell us their story. 

The Art Box - Episode 16 - Ten Minutes Sitting Around the Table at Mystery Ranch Talking About Respecting Cultural Sites.

Kim Garrison Means, Jim Woody, Rayette Martin and Steve sitting around the table at Mystery Ranch eating tacos and chatting about respecting cultural sites. 
 

The Art Box - Episode 15 - ’Ten Minutes with Tyler’ - Reference vs. Copy - Mini Episode

Tyler and Rachelle have a spirted discussion about using photos for reference or copy. Is there an answer?

The Art Box - Episode 14 - Ten Minutes with Americans for the Arts - National Arts & Humanities Month

October is National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM)—a collective recognition of the importance of culture in America with a focus on equitable access to the arts, encouraging communities to participate in the arts, allowing governments and businesses to show support for the arts, and raising public awareness about the positive impact of the arts and humanities in our lives.
The arts are a national asset and should be available everywhere to everyone—and while a majority of the public believes this based on public opinion polling and other research, it’s often not their default way of thinking about the arts. National Arts & Humanities Month is an opportunity for everyone to help change public perception and promote the crucial role of the arts and humanities in promoting individual wellbeing, addressing trauma, connecting cultures, highlighting inequities, and making our communities healthier and stronger.
Whether you’ve participated before or want to get involved for the first time, it’s easy to be part of the celebration! You can join in the daily #ShowYourArt2022 Instagram challenge, vote for a favorite NAHM poster design created by artists in communities across the country, or attend and participate in cultural experiences wherever you live. Spread the word about National Arts & Humanities Month on social media using #NAHM—and invite your friends and family to join in the fun, too!

The Art Box - Episode 13 - Meet Floyd Johnson

By Abbey Snow
FLOYD JOHNSON “KEEPING AN EYE ON ART” 
As a child, Floyd Morris Johnson started his art journey ‘with a pencil in hand’ creating artwork that has expanded over time, from being an editorial cartoonist to showcasing his work in notable museum exhibits.  
“I had two older brothers who became artists, so I was brought up with a pencil in my hand,”Johsnon said.  “We all did cartoons for our school newspapers and I had no doubt that I wanted to be an artist.”
Johnson was born in 1936 to immigrant Norwegian and Swedish parents. He attended the University of Minnesota contributing to the Minnesota Daily campus newspaper as a cartoonist while working in a sign shop. After graduating in 1956 from UMN with an ALA degree, he started his professional career designing packages for a manufacturing company for three years before exploring his adventurous side with his artistic brother during a tour of Europe. Afterwards, he moved to New York City and began working as a freelance commercial artist for two years with his two older brothers during which he gained valuable experience. He then moved back to his home state of Minnesota where he continued to sharpen his skills as a commercial free-lancer. 
“I worked as a free-lancer in commercial art until 1974 when I lost sight in one eye and had only partial vision in my other from previous eye surgeries,” Johnson said. “ So, fine-art painting, which had been a hobby, then became a full-time quest along with doing editorial cartoons for 17 years.”
Despite suffering from a deteriorating retina condition,  Johnson went on to open his own gallery in 1978, Viking Art Gallery, inspired by his heritage. A year later he opened his second gallery, Floyd Johnson Gallery, which he owned and operated for a number of years. 
“I really enjoy doing a variety of styles and techniques,” Johnson said. “ I did my last oil painting in 1965. Since then I have used  acrylics along with pen and pencil work. I like to do portraits, landscapes, Western, Viking Art and novelties. It’s always fun to try new approaches”
Johnson’s art creations have been displayed in various museums and exhibits. Amongst these include:paintings permanently owned and hung at the Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum in Decorah, Iowa; commissioned paintings by the Minnesota Vikings Football Club; The National  Hockey Hall of Fame; Stavanger Art Museum in Norway; artwork in the private collections at General Mills, Honeywell, the Viking Building in NYC,Sister Kenny Institute and the Mesquite Fine Arts Center.
His  artwork was shown on the CBS network show “60 Minutes.” He’s also had feature articles written about him in American Artist Magazine, Boy Scouts of America, Viking Magazine and the Minneapolis Star/Tribune. In 1987 he was chosen as the American/Norwegian Artist of the Year which resulted in a one-man exhibition of his original art at the Stavanger Art Museum in Norway.  
Johnson moved to Lake Tahoe in 1987 where he marketed his freelance paintings and drawings, and contributed to the Lake Tahoe Tribune as an editorial cartoonist for 15 years. He also became a member of the National Cartoonists Society. He eventually settled into his current residence in Mesquite in 2014 and became involved with the Virgin Valley Artists Association and the Mesquite Fine Arts Center.
“I moved here to Mesquite in 2010 after a forced foreclosure of my home at Lake Tahoe,” Johnson said. “ I lived for two years at the Far West side of town and (ashamedly) never once got to the Mesquite gallery back then.I moved to the Phoenix area in 2012 for two years, living with my son and returned back to Mesquite in 2014. This time I visited the gallery and was overwhelmed by its size and presence. I went right over to the front desk and signed in. I’ve  been an active and appreciative member ever since. I have even signed up my son (who now lives in the Philadelphia area) as a gallery member.  He’s won some gallery ribbons and had sales too, at the gallery.  He’s very busy in Philly, but I encourage him to still do art as his hobby.  He’s good!”
At the MFAC, he has won six Best of Show ribbons as well as many others.   
“What is most important to me is the satisfaction I get from everyday folks who have been supportive,”Johnson said. “Most of all, has been the unfailing support  that my dear family has given me all my life.  I’m a lucky guy, still plodding along.” 
Johnson said he’s received kind remarks from many through the years about his artwork, which gives him a sense of satisfaction. 
“I love my association with Mesquite Arts Center as their monthly themes “forces” me to come up with new art on a regular basis.” Johnson said. 
Amy Wells is the chairperson for ‘Artist of the Month’ at the Mesquite Fine Arts Center. 
“Floyd is amazing!” Wells said. “ I love some of the mixed media he does.He has done multiple works that feature more than just paint. He has a large Lady Gaga painting where he used a CD for her eye. There are landscapes where he has integrated rocks and sand as part of the landscape. I love this because it provides depth. He is also a Vikings fan, but I won’t hold that against him.” 
Currently Johnson sells art prints nationally, but his concentration has been creating originals for Mesquite Fine Arts Center. 
For more information regarding prints and/or commissioned art work visit  www.floydjohnsonstudio.com 

The Art Box - Episode 12 - Ten Minutes with Kathleen - Discussing the Invitational Exhibition

Every year we invite other galleries to participate in an Invitational exhibition at the Mesquite Fine Arts Center. Kathleen Birkholz gives us the history of the Invitational and the specifics of this years exhibition. Give Kathleen a listen and then get out to the gallery at 15 W Mesquite Blvd this September to allow your eyes and heart some enjoyment. Put October 1 on your calendar for the Invitational reception from 11 AM to 1PM to enjoy the art and a Bluegrass Band. 

The Art Box - Episode 11 - ’Ten Minutes with Floyd’ - Pricing Your Art - Mini Episode

A lively discussion between Floyd and Rachelle on how to price your art.