Friday, December 16, 2011


Just Your Type!

It’s true... Cal State University San Bernardino’s Palm Desert campus invites you to “Fundamentals and Principles of Typographic Design” in their fabulous Mac lab. Now you really do have “better things to do” (every Monday and Wednesday evening 6:00 to 9:50 p.m.) – designing a better future! Where? How to join? Please call Doris Wilson 760-341-2883 x 78170 or email dwilson@csusb.edu. I look forward to meeting and working with you!

Saturday, September 3, 2011

As Reported in the Desert Sun


California State University San Bernardino’s Palm Desert campus has recently announced their Bachelor of Arts degree program in Graphic Design and Marketing. I am happy to announce my appointment to teach Web Design beginning in September. I look forward to serving the design students and art community of the Coachella Valley.

Mrs. Dalloway's Logo and Type Sited in Just My Type


Congratulations to Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore in Berkeley, California! Mrs. Dalloway’s was selected by Simon Garfield for inclusion in Just My Type. Simon states, “A font and illustration of which Virginia Woolf would be proud—a perfect combination of text, colour and line drawing.” I am happy for Anne Lehye and Marion Abbott, owners of Mrs. Dalloway’s and for myself, as I had the privilege of designing Mrs. Dalloway’s logo, collateral materials, and exterior as well as interior signage. Kudos all around!

Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy 4th of July!

Opening of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society Members Exhibition at the City of Brea Art Gallery



Saturday evening the Brea Art Gallery hosted the opening reception of the annual Los Angeles Printmaking Society members exhibition. The juried exhibition featured nearly 100 fine art printmaking works. In addition to numerous artistic styles and sensibilities, the artworks demonstrated a range of print techniques including engravings, woodcuts, linocuts, etchings, lithographs, and monoprints. Live music and refreshments were enjoyed by the many attendees at the opening. If your are in the area, the Brea Art Gallery presents a rare opportunity to see quality contemporary printmaking, in a spacious, beautiful gallery space, through July 15.

Solar Printmaking Demonstration at Riverside Art Museum



By invitation of the Printmakers Network, I gave a solar plate printmaking demonstration at the Riverside Art Museum last Thursday evening. Solar plates, a newer plate making process use sunlight (or other light source) and water, instead of noxious chemicals to transfer an image. Another earth-friendly update I shared with the visitors was the use of high-quality water-based etching inks to complete the not-toxic etching demonstration. Over 100 people attended the presentation including many interested high school and college students... who asked very thoughtful questions.

Friday, April 29, 2011

I Thought I Knew That!


Come On, I Thought I Knew That!
Font size has no effect on memory, but font style does. New research finds that people retain significantly more material—whether science, history, or language—when they study it in a font that is not only unfamiliar but also hard to read. To see the full article click on the link below.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

American Prairie III selected for LAPS Exhibition


This print, "American Prairie III" has been selected to be included in the Los Angeles Printmaking Society Juried Membership Exhibition 2011 at the Brea Art Gallery, Brea, CA. The print incorporates solar plate etching, chine colle, collage, and airbrush. The exhibition opens June 4 and runs through July 15, 2011. The opening reception is Saturday, June 4, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Hecho a Mano

On Saturday, April 16, 2011, the Grand Ball room of the Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs will host the "99 Buck Show", a huge display of small canvases each priced at $99. Funds raised at the 99 Bucks event directly benefit the children, residents and visitors in the Coachella Valley through programs organized and delivered by the Palm Springs Art Museum's Education Department. 99 Bucks offers quality artwork at an affordable price, created by "famous and the infamous" donors. The piece above, "Hecho a Mano" is my contribution.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

"American Prairie 1" Awarded First Prize


"American Prairie I" was awarded first prize at the Going Solar" exhibition in St. Louis, Missouri. "Going Solar", is a national juried exhibition for works using nontoxic solarplate printing process. The exhibition is sponsored by the St. Louis Artists’ Guild in conjunction with the Southern Graphics International Conference, and hosted by Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. The print “American Prairie I” is part of a series inspired by the Flathead Lake, the surrounding mountains, and rolling lands in Montana. This new work explores and highlights the vast openness, isolation, enduring buildings and ranch structures that contain the ever-changing land—its’ uses, the diverse community, and the footprint of humans in this place. In addition to solar plates, the work utilizes digital printing, mixed media, and color airbrush.

Artist Council Exhibition 2011 at Palm Springs Art Museum


I feel honored to have one of my prints selected for the Artists Council Exhibition 2011 of the Palm Springs Art Museum. This juried exhibition and online auction runs from March 5 through April 3. If you can't visit the exhibit in person, you can go online psmuseum.org to see the exhibition, and place your bid; 30% of the auction proceeds go directly to the museum. The Artists Council supports the museum and local art and artists through art workshops, exhibitions, member events, including demonstrations and lectures, throughout the year.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Printmaking is Alive and Well in Irvine, CA



Los Angeles Printmaking Society held it's annual membership meeting last month at the Irvine Fine Arts Center. After the meeting, there was a dedication of the new Patrick Merrill Printmaking Studio, in honor of Patrick Merrill, a well-known mixed media artist and printmaker. A beautiful studio, well equipped for intaglio and letterpress processes.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

EDWARD TUFTE SEMINAR February 7, 2011—My thoughts

“Presenting Data and Information” a seminar by Edward Tufte was truly inspiring, informative, and of the moment. I’ve attended a number of Tufte’s seminars and I noticed a difference: Tufte’s discussion of web interface, rapid technology advances in resolution, software, and devices delivering content to the user. This difference matters to us. Here’s why- Consider the amount of information and data available, no, immediately accessible on the any smart phone, iPad, or on the home page of the New York Times. How we, as readers (consumers), view and process information/ data has changed and continues to change. How a designer presents information in the most uncluttered and thoughtful way is vitally important. At present, too much information available is “dumbed down” to minimize volume, respecting neither content nor reader. Excellent design needs to present information with integrity respecting the intelligent reader. Post a response to continue this conversation. Exciting times for us all.


Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Going Solar in St. Louis

I am honored to have two prints in the exhibit, "Going Solar", a national juried exhibition for works using the nontoxic solarplate printing process. Here you see an interior view of the St. Louis Artists' Guild prior to the exhibit's installation. "Going Solar", sponsored by the St. Louis Artists’ Guild in conjunction with the Southern Graphics International Conference, and hosted by Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri runs through March 25th.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Love it or Loathe it?


Happy New Year!




Dennis Johnson Design brings you design news you can use... and some fun tidbits for imaginative playfulness. 2011 is the year "everything old is new again". Newstalgia??? What do we mean? Here are some examples for you to consider:

  • Pantone color system predicts pepto-bismol pink (now called "honeysuckle") will be the #1 color of the year! Pantone calls it "modernized nostalgia".
  • Handlebar mustaches (on men) will regain popularity–given power from the whole steam-punk genre? What do you think?
  • Nerd glasses are being rocked and will continue to look cool after yule...
  • The LA Times offers the idea that 4-D will go mainstream in 2011, citing Ralph Lauren's (November, 2010) outdoor video, sound, fragrance extravaganza promoting new products.
  • Color will explode Pantone declares! India influences us with more than Bollywood. We are weary of neutrality? Ban the beige? 
Let us know what you think. We will be back with more morsels of design in February.