"Splendid Eyegasms and Happy Dance Moves": An interview with Painter Johnny Stinson

Photo Credits to Life Through Lenses, taken at Rootwire 2017.

“When the world is feeling gray and mundane, visual artists become superheroes rejuvenating the colorful joys that can be found within all of us. Super painting hero Johnny Stinson is one of the most eclectic creators in the Midwest creating colorful masterpieces that tease your eyes and warm your soul. Using thought out color pallets and meticulous crisp brush strokes, Johnny creates artworks that create imagery of what one may see in their deep mind, connecting to everyone with calming fluid shapes and lines. This funkadelic rainbow lovin’ space tiger has many unique ideas of what to create, and I highly suggest you follow this creators artistic journey for splendid eyegasms and happy dance moves.”

-Julie Young

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in a small rural town called Brown County, an eclectic artist colony seated in the forests of Southern Indiana.

When did you first start painting?

I first started painting at age 16, after receiving a beginner’s painting kit from my family for Christmas. Before that, I had spent my lifetime drawing with pens, markers, and pencils to express my creative self.

When did you start live painting at festivals?

Alchemy Rising 2017 was my first live painting experience at a festival, though I had a few encounters with live painting at local venues in Indianapolis.

Why did you start live painting?

I started live painting after a friend encouraged me to get into it, and I have found that I love creating in an environment full of music and friends… some of whom I haven’t even met yet.

Photo Credits to Aaron Bradley Photo, taken at Good People Good Times 2017.

Would you call yourself a studio painter?

Yes, as much as I love creating at bustling, high energy events and festivals, I also treasure the solitude of creating in my studio at home alone on a quiet night with my favorite tunes streaming through my speakers.

What are you doing when you are not painting?

In my free time I enjoy jumping off of bridges at the local lake, going on long hikes to explore and connect with nature, and long boarding through the city of Bloomington.

Who are your greatest influences and inspirations?

As a child I was inspired by surrealism and the works of Salvador Dali, which then lead me down the canals of visionary art and the likes of Alex Grey. From there, it has been an never ending whirlwind of inspiration in the modern movement of visionary and abstract psychedelic art. Some of my favorite contemporary creators are Dennis Konstantin Bax, Morten Andersen, Seth McMahon, and dem bois’ at APEX Collective.

What is a favorite memory of this summer?

Painting alongside some of my best friends and getting to experience the magic of Joe Russo’s Almost Dead at the Werk Out last month was a highlight of my summer so far. That shit blew my mind.

What is another one?

Another great memory from this summer was getting to explore the deeper depths with my good friends Mike Hancock and Gavin Gerundo, a.k.a. “Hanzo,” painting our leafy sea dragon collab that we started at Rootwire and finished up during The Werk Out weekend.

Who are your favorite people to collab with?

My favorite people to collaborate with are my two best friends and roomates/co-conspirators Jackson Braden and Julie Young. I am also in the process of working on my first collaboration with the legendary Seth McMahon, and it is turning out to be quite the doozy! I’m very excited to see how it transforms.

How would you describe your style?

My specialty is currently in a kind of visionary abstractionism. I enjoy creating art that offers a glimpse, or perhaps opens the mind, to the potentiality of different worlds and dimensions within the imagination and consciousness that we all share.

What are some of your favorite mediums to use?

Golden Acrylic all day, everyday, with occasional aerosols and fluid acrylics.

How did you come up with the name “Crystalline Dreamz”?

Crystalline Dreamz was a name that was inspired by the crystalline structure of existence combined with the theory of life being but a dream.

How do you come up with the names of your pieces?

I don’t typically plan the name out, the titles often arise naturally at some point during the creation of the piece. The titles are often inspired by the chosen color palette.

What is your favorite piece and why?

My favorite piece that I have created thus far is a mini (8”x10”) canvas that I painted two years ago titled “Rainbow Mechanics.” This piece is my favorite because it was a fresh and ground breaking creation with a near-perfectly balanced composition that I don’t’ feel I have been able to achieve since.

What is your advice to budding artists?

My advice is to be ambitious and not be afraid to create beyond your level of comfortability. The only thing that is holding you back from painting your masterpieces is the thought that you can’t.

What is a goal you accomplished this year?

I have met many goals this year such as meeting some of my favorites artists like Jake Amazon and Seth McMahon which happened this past April. I had a goal to paint again this year at Resonance (one of my favorite festivals) which has become a reality, and I have recently been invited to paint at CoSM’s Winter Solstice celebration, which to me, is a major milestone in my creative journey and I am very much looking forward to it.

What would you say some of your long term plans would be?

I am planning to move to a state where art and creativity are flourishing and much more prominent. There I hope to make a career and lifetime out of art, and to be inspired to create and create to inspire others.