Elliott Johnson, Totally, Tenderly, Tragically (detail), 2007, Acrylic on panel, 23 1/2 x 32 inches

DALLAS, TX.- Road Agent will open a solo exhibition of new paintings by Dallas-based artist Elliott Johnson on Friday, November 30, from 6-8 p.m. Johnson’s rococo flourishes and tendrils are the figures in his mysterious world, hovering in undefined space spouting their own word balloons. The dialogue pushes the viewer towards the utmost melodramatic conclusions: things are always at their most devastatingly vague, their absolute worst. The ornate precision and theatricality of these swirling figures -- deeply hued, unapologetically decorative -- betrays the calculating coldness of their words, darkly and comically sanitizing their cruelty.

Reading the paintings becomes a private performance. The paintings become a touchstone to your own well of memories: you've said this, you've heard this, you've felt this before. It's personal.  (by courtesy of www.Artdaily.org)