Rising Stars: Meet Jeffrey Johnson of Western Colorado, Grand Junction

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Johnson.

Jeffrey, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Art pulled me into it’s gravity when I was in High School. There seemed a limitless vein of creativity available in art. In almost every other class I was in every other student was expected to get the same answer for every question. Only one way to be correct? I found intrigue in the simple fact that whatever I drew or painted would be “right,” maybe not very well done but valid nonetheless.

I went to college for art straight away. There a dichotomy developed. I learned not only how to improve my artistic skills and understanding but what art was “good,” what types of art had been validated, approved and accepted into the glorious academic cannon. My skill improved but my vision, my tastes, my creative impulses became progressively narrowed. That limitless individualism seemed to have more and more limits. Nonetheless I enjoy art school and I improved a great deal.

After college came the pressure of being an individual again. Suddenly there were no teachers giving assignments and deciding what is good or bad, interesting or dull, worthy or unworthy. It was disorienting. I would find inspiration where I could and make whatever spoke to me most. A personal style slowly began to form while I worked side jobs, including a year and a half as an instructor at our local university. I struggled to sell paintings.

Then I started tattooing. My skill meter was reset to near zero. I was in a whole new world of art. Different styles. Different culture. Different values. Once again I found myself in the role of the student. Here there were no teachers though. My supposed mentor didn’t have the character traits of an instructor. I got lost in trying to design “tattoos.” “What is a tattoo SUPPOSED to look like?” I asked as I began chasing my own tail and loosing that individualism again. Trying to find my fit in a very different and very competitive domain led to me becoming a chameleon. I tried to blend in with everyone trying to stand out. I struggled deeply for years. My work improved at a painfully slow rate. My identity became diluted and confused, as did my creativity. My whole life seemed to be collapsing into tangles and knots of depleting relationships, self-imposed expectations for conformity and the ever-popular party culture of the tattoo scene.

Then I went to the Himalayas and walked 238 miles in the mountains. I ended a stifling romantic relationship. I moved into my best friend’s basement. I left the world-recognized shop I helped build. I went to the Peruvian Amazon for a series of Ayahuasca ceremonies. These departures from the confines I had caged myself in helped me unravel the knots and tangles that had me choking me. My creativity began to glow on its own again. I found love for my work again, instead of simply bearing it as a burden and trying not to quit. Now I have my own small private studio and look forward to everyday that I get to tattoo or paint. I can see that limitless individualism becoming accessible again.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No.
I’ve never been motivated by money and that made it very hard to support my creativity. In failing to learn the games that must be played in order to get one’s work out there I felt unrecognized and unvalued.
Since childhood I have struggled with depression. That led to a couple of decades of varying levels or alcoholism and drug abuse.
It turns out I am a pretty determined person though. I have remained committed to the pursuit and have negotiated a much better cleaner and healthier lifestyle and mindset.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love art that is “otherworldly.” Psychedelic art, spiritual art of all traditions, surrealism in its many forms, are what inspire me and where I like to steer my ship.
The arts are extremely difficult to describe in words, more now than ever. I will do my best.
My favorite pieces, whether in tattoo or paint, are combinations of real world imagery fused with abstract patterns. I like to raise questions with my art. I want the viewer to experience a little awe and wonder. I don’t want anyone to look at my art and say “Yep, that’s a (insert familiar object. Good job.” I want to create imagery that is intriguing and powerful but also fairly indefinable. I want the viewer to have to think. Too much of the arts has become conveniently prepackaged and predictable. I try to avoid that at all costs. It isn’t easy.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the variety of people and creativity, the murals, the restaurants, the music.

I do not like the traffic, the frantic pace, the increasingly impersonal feel of the city.

Pricing:

• I tattoo at $150/hour
• Paintings vary based on size and content

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jeffreyartengine.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffrey_art_engine_tattoo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.johnson.754703
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BTA4cd-qA0&t=24s

Image Credits
Andy Bowen, Above Alpine Photography