Hauntings by Jim Johnson is a collection of photo-realistic drawings of architecture with fine-point illustration markers on paper. From a few yards away, the drawings could be mistaken for framed black-and-white photographs. Only by taking a closer look at the minutiae and fine shades does the realization dawn that the work is hand-drawn in ink.

Johnson’s inspirations range from the cover of Ray Bradbury's novels to Civil War Era woodblock engravings. The culmination of clean, old-fashioned line work and the notably macabre themes give each piece a chilling and photographic touch. The influence of Gustave Dore, a 19th-century French engraver, can be seen in the natural grain that the fine-line ink drawings take on. Throughout the collection, theatrical and creepy motifs emerge from each piece with a gothic twist to every solemn, ornate depiction of architecture.

Jim Johnson
*Cat in Window*
Illustration Markers
11" x 17"

Around twenty years ago, walking with a friend in Fountain Square, Johnson began photographing houses and has since accepted photographs from others as inspiration and reference for his drawings. Johnson grew up in Garfield Park, a neighborhood he describes as full of working-class homes. While Garfield park doesn't have the Victorian mansions so prevalent in his work, he is inspired by memories of his childhood home. The multistory estate depicted in October Haunting #1 boasts the ornate gables, rooftop finials, and steep, scalloped roofline of most Victorian-style houses. There's a comic playfulness to the motifs — like the ragdoll frame and jeering smile of jack o'lantern or the advantageously positioned portrait of Poe accompanied by his raven companion.

Jim Johnson
*October Haunting #1*
Illustration Markers
14" x 18"

A certain frivolity comes to mind when viewing Michigan Haunting. The ornamented facets emerge from the ridge of the roofline and the woodgrain of each shingle. The low perspective from which it was drawn lends even more height and grandeur to the already lofty structure. Ashen tones and unsettling details emerge, as is common in the collection: a raven, a precariously detailed carving of a griffin, and startling figures in the windows of the spire.

Jim Johnson
*Michigan Haunting*
Illustration Markers
16" x 20"

Far more sinister than the rest of the collection, Daylight Haunting takes a brazen turn in hovering a winged demon before a sepulcher shrouded in mist. The black figure is transparent with a gaunt, clawed frame and aggravated expression and posture. The burial ground depicted is skirted by foliage and streaked with age. The tomb itself is embellished with fine engravings and stone columns, flights, and a dome. A statue of the entombed monarch guards the entrance with unmoving diligence. The aura of death is palpable in the image. A five-pointed star over the entrance of the tomb invokes occult themes and the presence of the dark and supernatural at work.

Jim Johnson
*Daylight Haunting*
Illustration Markers
11" x 17"

Each piece in the collection was made within the past year and a half, confining its timeframe to the bleakness of the coronavirus pandemic. Johnson tucks small easter eggs into the borders of the drawings rather than creating a scavenger hunt for motifs. Despite the photo-realistic drawing style, Johnson's fanciful imagination adds story and theme to the architecture he depicts. Reflected in this body of work is his love for fiction. When asked, Johnson said he struggles to put words together about his art, but with such communicative work, meaning creeps out of every nook, cranny, corner, and detail of his drawings.

Jim Johnson
*Bring Me the Head of Howdy Doody*
Illustration Markers
11" x 17"

Hauntings is currently on display in the Underground Gallery. These pieces are also available for browsing and purchase on our online gallery now and through the month of October.