Donald Schenkel

Soft Green Dark No.1

2022

Johnnie Winona Ross Deep Creek Seeps 10, 2007 Oil paint on acrylic base burnished on Belgian linen Signed twice, dated and titled on the verso; also bears the original Stephen Haller Gallery label\ Canvas is stretched against wooden backing but no outer frame This work was originally sold by the Stephen Haller Gallery which hosted several critically acclaimed, sell-out shows of New Mexico resident Johniie Winona Ross, whose exquisite Minimalist aesthetic really took hold with collectors. The debt to famous New Mexico resident and Minimalist goddess Agnes Martin is obvious, but Winona Ross has a disctinctive style and technique of his own. The process of creating this work was laborious: Ross typically applies as many as 90-100 layers of paint to each canvas, then scrapes the surface with a straight-edged razor to reveal the many layers (and their chronology), and finally burnishing the surface with a Pueblo pottery stone to achieve a soft gloss. Maureen Mullarkey of Studio Matters wrote in 2010: THE LOVELINESS OF JOHNNIE WINONA ROSS' paintings elude translation into either reproduction or verbal description. In 2011, ArtDaily published this announcement from Stephen Haller, publicizing a later exhibition: "Washington Post critic Stephen Parks characterized Ross’s work in this way: “From a distance his canvases appear to be simple, minimal constructions of horizontal stripes with hints of vertical color in the background. Up close the paintings are seen to be extraordinarily beautiful and complex objects that induce a humming meditative state.” Ross grounds his work in the inspiration of the desert of the American Southwest, and borrows techniques from ancient Native American sources, melding them with a distinctly sophisticated and utterly contemporary vision. His use of the Native American technique of burnishing pigment and minerals with a potter’s stone to create a hard surface with a visually warm sheen creates an effect reminiscent of the softening of marble steps...

Artist Commentary: This large minimalist painting is centered around a dot grid made from US dollar bills. The dollar bills were collected fr...

Artist Commentary: This minimalist process piece is made with charcoal from redwood and eucalyptus trees. Chainsaw carburetor gaskets were used to apply the charcoal. This series explores the tension between the native and invasive plants in the Claremont Canyon (near San Francisco) and human involvement in this dynamic. Keywords: ecology art, minimalist, geometric, circles, process art, grid art, environmental art...

Artist Commentary: This minimalist oil painting is created with oil paint and charcoal made from Trump's "Art of the Deal" and Playboy magazines. The calmness belies the blackmail referred to in the title. Trace amounts of human urine are mixed with acrylic medium painted over the charcoal lines. This medium has not color or texture, but is a tool for making the charcoal adhere to the oil primed linen. Keywords: political art, small minimalist painting...