Connections 2 (2005)

About the Artist:
d'Elaine Johnson was determined to become an art educator in the 1950s despite the difficulties presented by her visual disability. She kept this disability a secret because she would have been denied a teaching certificate otherwise. Johnson eventually earned an MA in art education and an MFA from the University of Washington, Seattle. She taught for 24 years before turning to her art full-time.

Johnson's work directly relates to myths of the sea through symbolic imagery, and each piece is coupled with a citation that reveals the particular myth upon which the work is based.

Her paintings reflect an affinity with the sea, an interest influenced by a broad knowledge of ancient nautical mythology and developed through scuba diving expeditions including with such notables as Jacques Cousteau. Her basic artistic aim is to create symbolic visuals by clarifying the meaning behind imagery relating to the sea through myths.

Artist's Statement:
These paintings focus on the principals of water, the giver of life to our universe and the connector of all land masses into one whole world. They are concerned with the cycles of fortune, wheels of justice, departures or banishments and returns, regeneration and rebirth.

My art form ties all life on this planet together in a universal context through the seas, where life began and today connects all as one.

"Souls of the Sea": To some Eskimo groups, there is a goddess at the bottom of the sea who must be pacified if the seal and fish hunting are to be good. Fish caught through a hole in the ice are arranged in a circle to encourage their fellow fish to join them. When the Netslik catch a seal, it is customary to sprinkle a few drops of water in its mouth to appease the thirst of its spirits, for the Netslik believe it is the same spirit that is caught again and again and it must be driven away. When the Netslik change camps in the winter, they arrange all the dead seals skulls from their catch in a line, pointing the way they are going so the souls of the seals will follow them.

"Proverb:" The king of Agogo, Ghana, during a ceremonial, slowly extended his right arm and turned his hand slowly, slowly, so that a ring in the form of a fish could clearly be seen. The motif of the fish represents a proverb: "A fish out of water dies; a King without followers ceases to exist".

Exhibitions:
During her distinguished career, she has exhibited more than 636 times around the globe - from the Pacific Northwest's Henry Art Gallery and Frye and Seattle Art Museums to various prestigious exhibitions in New York, Washington, D.C. Paris, France, and the United Arab Emirates. More than half of her exhibits have been one-person, feature exhibits.

She is a many-time recipient of Awards, recognitions and scholarships, and is listed in university, regional, national and international Who’s Who honorariums.