Johannes (Johnny) Geppert is a Surry Hills-based artist. His studio-gallery on Crown Street, Collage Atelier, is open for exhibitions as well as weekly workshops in drawing, painting and collage. Framed and canvas artworks are available for purchase. In this third of three articles, Johnny reflects on colour and creativity, and the personal and communal aspects of artistic practice.
I think natural and earthy colours are calming to the mind. We’ve lived in the natural environment for tens of thousands of years I guess, a long time having around us just earthy natural tones and textures, and suddenly we are hit with a lot of concrete, a lot of neon …
I feel that bringing back natural colours, working with natural textures and tones, and creating collage with these clouds, green grass, paddock, trees, sky, things like that, it lets you reconnect to the environment, revalue the environment. It connects you on a spiritual level because as you paint clouds and things like that, it’s almost abstract, and that’s what I want to teach in my class, for people to really cut loose.
As you paint the clouds, as you paint the ocean, it’s like you become the wind or the clouds. It maybe sounds a bit abstract, but as you do it and as you become aware of it, it really does that. And we cut out a lot of the noise that’s unimportant.
And with some real people around you, fellow artists who love you whatever you do, whether you’re up or down, you have some nice interesting conversations about art and culture and then you share what you have as well: “Look at my texture that I found, look at my material that I found”.
I want to preserve the process of art. Sometimes, with AI especially, you give instructions to the computer and it creates something. You hit certain buttons and you have that melody ready. But back in the day we used to go, “Oh, look at this guitar pedal that I’ve got. Yeah, Jimmy’s got the old one from Roland, he found it in an old vintage shop, listen to that.” And five or six youths would come around, sit around the guitar pedals, try them out, connect them in different ways …
And that’s the process behind art, making art, making music, and when that’s lost, our youth is lost.
Some people say, “Ooh, I’m not creative, I don’t believe.” I think from when we are born into this world, we are creative. Creativity is in us.
When I was in school, I had no idea there was a creative bone in my body because I was not giving myself any credit or permission. And very gradually I realised there is something there. It’s important that both young people and old people discover they can do something creative, they can either paint or do photography or cook or do something with crafts – starting to be a maker.
Whenever you make something, you build a strong identity around yourself, and it builds structure and you become more observant. And when we have that in community, then we keep meeting again and the conversation is much more real and in-depth.
Same with our music. As we go through our practice, we learn to listen more, we listen to all the layers of music and the complexities, and we find out who the composers are and how they used to do it. And then there is philosophy and meaning within the lyrics and we learn about that, and that expands our horizons.
As we meet in community, the conversation becomes much more layered. And that’s what Australia is missing – Sydney and other places as well.
Another thing I feel is when you have that inner strength through something creative, you gain confidence. After a while you draw the lines, you draw the clouds, you paint everything how you want it, and all of a sudden you’re like, “Oh wow, I have a visual voice and I have the confidence and it’s working out and people are liking it.”
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Read ‘I just want to learn this trick’ – an interview with Johannes Geppert (#1)
Read An anchor in life – an interview with Johannes Geppert (#2)
