Bruce JOHNSON
Born: 1947
Medium: Wood and Metal Sculpture

Bruce Johnson has lived on a ridge above the Sonoma County coast for over 30 years. Here he works on large scale sculpture using massive redwood logs and stumps. Bruce often describes his work as a fusion of Form and Energy. He says “I am moved by mass and scale. I love the energy and vitality of big chunks of wood and work to honor their spirit.”

The source of his themes come from the natural environment, a visit to Japan and Isamu Noguchi’s studio, seeing Guatemala’s Mayan archaeology, and also Zen Buddhism. But I believe the ideas originate mostly from within Bruce himself. Like generations of builders and artists from Stonehenge on, he strives to connect earth and sky and create an energy flow between the two. Much of his work is sculpture, but he has also created special gates, walls, tables, and his piéce de resistance, “Poetry House.” Each combines artistry and engineering skills, fusing East and West, yin and yang, science and spirit.

In 2009, Bruce has two major exhibits. One is new large-scale sculpture at Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa. The other, at our gallery, is “Downsized and Uprooted” perhaps reflecting the current world economy. This is the first time the artist has done a large body of small work. The energy is just as strong, but on a different scale. In these pieces, Bruce combines the warm tones of redwood, copper and bronze, with both polished and rough textures. Instead of sculpture a child can clamber on, some of these pieces can be held in the palm of your hand.

Selected Exhibitions:

Paradise Ridge Winery Sculpture Grove, Santa Rosa
Amundsen Sculpture Garden, Seattle WA
Oakland Museum CA
Walnut Creek Civic Arts Gallery, CA
Ren Brown Collection, Bodega Bay CA

Selected Collections and Commissions:

Santa Rosa Junior College, Doyle Library
Cedarhurst Sculpture Park, Mt. Vernon, IL
Vineyard Creek Inn, Santa Rosa
Rajah Construction, Keelung Taiwan
Center for the Musical Arts, Sonoma State University
Barclay Simpson, Umbria, Italy
The Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
Oakland City Center, CA
Runnymead Sculpture Farm, Woodside CA
Edificio Mayola, Algerciras, Spain
City of Palo Alto, CA