Heavy metal, color theory and sincerity inform this Florida artist

Florida artist Johannah O’Donnell creates explosive, vibrant paintings in acrylic on wood panel, using neon color schemes with rich multi-layered backgrounds. Though the paintings are primarily portraits that question our collective view of beauty, her panels are also rich with existential subthemes.

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Her paintings portray young women placed before elements of nature – trees, mossy green lawns, and starry backdrops. You will also find silhouettes of animals such as sparrows, elk and bats. Layered into the backgrounds are patterns like cheetah print, a tangled web of graffiti style arrows, dripping paint, or a repetition of stars and circles. Menacing images such as a skull or hands with a mouth in the palm bearing a devilish tongue may appear along the perimeter.

Different For Girls. 

To create this multi-layered effect she uses tools like Photoshop to mock up her painting before she commits paint to the panel. She says, “I come from a printmaking background, which is all about planning, so I plan my paintings before I start them.” Regarding her daring color scheme, she says, “I’ve just always loved color theory, the way certain colors bounce off each other. It makes an otherwise static composition come alive, and it creates dimension on a flat surface.”

O’Donnell finds inspiration for her work from the local art movement, pop culture and music. She often envisions a painting after listening to a song. She says, “Fully formed pieces will pop into my head. Some call it the artistic muse. I call it awesome, because it reminds me that I’m merely an instrument of creative forces, not the force itself. This helps with reducing the artistic ego, which is not your friend.”

Her latest creations portray hybrid human animal figures, such as a guy striking a relaxed pose in a v-neck sweater who happens to have a wolf head and a girl with a drink, a smile and whiskers. She says, “I have a soft spot for invented creatures, animals that don’t exist outside of the realm of human imagination. To me, they’re the mascots of the artistic mind.”

As to why she paints fantasy, she says, “I think I’m drawn to it the same way I’m drawn towards heavy metal music. It’s nerdy and sincere. It’s art without irony - pure enthusiasm, imagination, and talent. I’m a big believer in sincerity in art. Sarcasm and irony are just self-defense mechanisms, a way to keep others at a distance. I have no interest in art that alienates the viewer.” –by Camille Lowry / Hurley Art

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