Gunnar Johnson

 

From a young age, Gunnar Johnson, was always drawn to wacky visual designs for characters and the imagination that is used to build alternate worlds. Animated shows, with unique personalities, such as Ren and Stimpy, Samurai Jack, The Maxx, and (recently) Rick and Morty, are fuel for the cartoons he creates on any piece of paper, wood, or surface he finds.  

 

Gunnar’s disinterest in conventional, non-expressive school sports, lead him to spend most of his free time skateboarding and snowboarding, taking comfort in the freedom of these activities. Finding himself drawn towards the cartoons used for a board’s surface, that artists like Jeremy Fish, Alex Pardee, Ed Templeton, and Ralph Steadman, have been featured on, which are constant 

inspirations for Gunnar.

 

Finding the happy medium between animated shows, skateboard culture, and street art, Gunnar Johnson’s work infuses humor into poignant social issues and makes them accessible to those who view it. He Exaggerates flesh to represent how morphed the characters personalities have

become after encountering certain events, while simultaneously appropriating what is conventionally viewed as ugly. He Uses wrinkles, hairiness, splatter, and smudges as the finer details to promote an unsettling feeling. Making each emotion evocative enough to the viewer, to explore more on their own. Having whoever is viewing his art see that ugliness, ironically, is actually beautiful.