Hot off the press!

Conceived nearly two years ago when I spent a winter on Vancouver Island - a tribute to the life work of the late, great metal sculptor Jan Johnson. Book design by Pam Woodland. 128 pages, hard cover. The cover photo is a piece titled "Falling Axe".

I had photographed Jan's work many years ago, and it was a revelation to revisit them through older eyes. Shooting and processing digitally, of course, meant more control, especially of backgrounds. Mary, Jan's widow, has a hundred or so of his works, and I was able to shoot them in Jan's old studio; others we were able to track down in the homes of private collectors.

A very intense project for me, both professionally and personally. I always suspected Jan was touched by genius, but I ended up knowing it. For all of us involved in the project, this was a labour of love. I'm happy - and relieved - that the result looks so good. High end printing on top quality paper. Looks and feels good.

Here's a link to the Facebook page, itself a work in progress, contact info near the top for anyone who is interested in acquiring this edition:

www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=irony%20in%20steel%20%3A%2...

Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2016 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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In September 2011, my friend, Jan Johnson the metal sculptor, died. He left behind a wealth of art, much of it based on his 1960s stint in Vietnam, that irrevocably changed him. After being discharged he moved to Canada, where I met him in the mid-'80s through a mutual friend.

Fast forward to 2015, when I left the prairie temporarily to dog-sit for the winter on a farm in Sooke, BC. Five minutes from Jan's home, I was ideally positioned to take on an assignment offered by Jan's widow, Mary: to compile a visual catalogue of his life work for the purposes of publishing them in a book. We recruited our longtime friend Pam Woodland as the designer, and Jan's step-daughter Mija Lee did the bulk of the writing. I was given free reign to interpret the pieces as I felt and saw fit. It was a great project.

Jan used all sorts of materials to create his blistering critique of the social and political engineering that leads to war, famine, and mass murder worldwide. In this piece, an old garden rake is transformed into a line of soldiers called upon by their officer to volunteer. We see where the two previous volunteers used to stand; they've disappeared. Next!

Like any three dimensional artwork, this piece could have been - and was - photographed from various angles. It's a lot more interesting than copying paintings, for example, which is a technical exercise and not much more. This project allowed me a lot of space for interpretation. The book is called Irony in Steel and is available from Mary Alice Johnson, PO Box 807, Sooke, BC, V9Z 1H8, Canada. Or contact Mary via email: mary@almsculpture.com.

More samples of his amazing work to come over the next few days...

Photographed in Jan Johnson's studio in Sooke, British Columbia (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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My favourite Jan Johnson sculpture. Two men hold a captive to his knees. No further explanation needed.

For those who haven't been following this series, this week I've been posting images of the life work of the Sooke, British Columbia metal sculptor Jan Johnson. Jan was my friend from the mid-eighties until his death in 2011. I photographed his welded steel sculptures many times during his life, on film. A few years after he died, his widow, Mary Alice Johnson, bankrolled a high quality book to document his legacy. Many of his pieces are in private collections, but fortunately Jan was prolific. Mary had recalled all of his material from galleries, and a lot of great pieces were sitting there, just waiting for a photographer.

I made most of the shots in a corner of his studio, under natural light. The high key processing was intentional; I shot the project that way in an attempt to portray the work against a plain background with no distractions.

I think this shot illustrates how good Jan was at capturing gesture. The body language of his characters tells the story. As Jan grew older, his pieces became smaller - big metal sculptures are a pain to haul around! This one is 12 x 16 x 45 cm.

This and the other images featured here are from the book Irony in Steel. Written by Mija Lee, photographed by me, designed by Pam Woodland. If you are interested in purchasing, contact Mary Johnson via email: mary@almsculpture.com

Photographed in Sooke, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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A sculpture from the brilliant mind of the late, great Jan Johnson, of Sooke, British Columbia. Jan was a good friend; he died of lung cancer in 2011, leaving an astounding legacy of metal sculpture in galleries and private collections. His widow, Mary, remains in possession of more than 100 pieces. During the first four months of 2015, while in BC, I undertook the significant task of documenting Jan's life work.

Our goal is the production of a high end, offset printed book, tentative publication date fall 2016. Pam Woodland, also a friend (of both Jan and myself), is the designer. Working title: Irony in Steel. Additional details to follow.

Jan drew his themes from a stint in Vietnam during the mid-Sixties, and his conclusions regarding the futility of war and related power games. He came back from the war and started making art. Into this he sifted images and symbols from religious traditions, social commentary based on his own perceptions concerning values, a healthy dose of humour, and much more. Here, three figures traverse the body of a man fallen on a coil of barbed wire.

Photographed at Sooke, Vancouver Island, BC. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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Number three in a set of six sculptures by the late, great Jan Johnson. Into the meat grinder of history we go! And we go willingly, compliantly. Why? Because we are told to go? Jan Johnson's art always challenged our assumptions, and Jan rarely if ever offered explanations. He was a dusty little man with a Groucho moustache and a folksy manner that concealed a razor-sharp intelligence. He listened more than he talked, and on meeting him for the first time, people might dismiss him, fail to see who they were dealing with - and Jan was always the smartest person in the room. He seemed to operate outside of ego.

Here is Jan in a 20-second clip, reminding an interviewer that art "should make you feel something". A glimpse of the man...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtwILL3eGws

Photographed in Sooke, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2015 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

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