Periphery: Paintings and Reduction Relief Prints by Eric A. Johnson

The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum is pleased to announce Periphery: Paintings and Reduction Relief Prints by Eric A. Johnson, which features acrylic paintings, reduction relief prints, and print blocks by the artist. The exclusive Member Preview for the exhibit is on Friday 6 March from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and the Public Reception is on Sunday 22 March from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. with a gallery talk by the artist at 2 p.m. The exhibit will be on display in the Main Gallery at the museum building from 6 March to 12 April.

Eric A. Johnson is a printmaker and painter known for works that exhibit bold color, expressive line work, and emotionally charged imagery. Raised as the youngest of six children on a farm near Embden, North Dakota, Eric’s early life was shaped by the rhythms of rural work and the quiet, expansive landscapes that continue to influence his artistic voice.

Eric discovered his passion for printmaking while studying at North Dakota State University, where he became deeply connected to the reduction relief technique pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Hidalgo Arnéra. He later earned his MFA from the University of North Dakota, where he began developing the cityscape series that remains central to his practice.

Over more than two decades, Eric has built a significant regional presence as both an artist and educator. He has taught at area colleges and universities and has served as Master Printer in the NDSU Visual Arts Department for multiple editions through the university’s PEARS program. His work has been featured in solo exhibitions at The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum and in traveling exhibitions across North Dakota and Montana, which have earned recognition for emotional depth and technical mastery.

Eric is the founder of Big Oak Press, his printmaking studio in Hillsboro, North Dakota, where he continues to produce new work and explore the expressive possibilities of his art.

Exhibition Statement

Within this exhibition, Eric A. Johnson has on display his latest series, consisting of controlled drip acrylic paintings and reduction relief prints. The concept of periphery is reflected in what remains of the cuts and what is applied to the canvases, shaped as much by what has been removed as by what is left behind.

The acrylic paintings use a controlled drip technique to suggest atmospheric landscapes, forms that feel familiar yet resist precise identification. Alongside the paintings, reduction relief prints extend this visual language. Built through a process of carving and layering from a single block, each print is an act of commitment and elimination.

The dual meaning of “periphery,” as both the outer limits of an area and what we perceive indirectly, just beyond our central focus, guides this exhibition. Periphery as an examination of what exists at the edge of vision, memory, and landscape. These works consider how meaning forms at the margins.