Raymer Society Consignment Art Auction
Lot 108:
Leah Johnson (1918-2010) "The Old Soddy" daytime, 1975 mixed media, signed in lower right, good condition, size: 10.5 x 18.25 inches. Painter Leah Johnson (1918-2010) a Holdeman Mennonite (Church of God in Christ, Mennonite), Montezuma, KS, was a self-taught painter who learned to paint to support her family after her husband passed away in 1967. She specialized in painting Western Kansas landscapes and the sod houses (or soddies) that dotted the area when she was a child. Leah created her own technique of mixing soils native to each homestead into her oil or acrylic paints to give each piece texture and a 3-dimensional appearance. Her pieces gained popularity with people of the area, and with travelers passing through. She is known for painting canvases of homesteads, but each piece also contains her vivid interpretations of the Western Kansas sky. Johnson painted from memory, and considered herself a historian of sorts as she documented the places of her youth. She once said ?As an artist, I feel more closely drawn to things of my childhood and earlier? In a sense, I?m cataloging history.? Johnson has also illustrated books with drawings of her favorite subjects, notably True Sod, written by Barbara Oringderff.
Condition: good condition
Dimensions: 10.5 x 18.25 x 0.75 in
Weight: 1 lb
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