"To increase the complexity of the color action in his recent series, Mitchell Johnson began adding flat distinct areas of color over existing paintings. Each painting becomes like a dynamic quilt, with grids and bars overlaying an image of a town in Italy, a small yard in Denmark, or a California landscape. Using a variety of colors for each rectangular grid, his paintings evolve slowly, arriving at resolution when his colors feel related and are no longer random. Even when Johnson lived in New York City, he was told that his paintings showed an affinity to the Bay Area artists. Now a transplanted New Yorker, having moved to California over twenty years ago, and meeting many of the original Bay Area artists, Johnson realizes that working two dimensionally naturally brings out his dialogue with the art of the area, especially David Park's use of color." - Roberta Carasso, Ph D. 2012
