"LOOKING UP"
Nely lived in communist Romania for the first fourteen years of her life. Her father was a labor camp survivor and her mother was saved from transport to an extermination camp. Her childhood experiences greatly influenced her career choices and her creations.
She took art classes as a child and excelled in painting portraits. She ultimately became a lawyer, but continued painting and taking classes at the Museum of Art. During her 24 years on the Oregon bench, she collected objects of everyday life – from games to toys to eggbeaters to bread boxes to blocks to dominoes to painted furniture – and used them to create spaces that change constantly. The digital camera made it easy to experiment, so she photographed while traveling to India, Romania and Mexico. More recently, inspired by La Wilson’s work, Nely began creating boxes. This is her third venture in the realm of chair creations.
Contact the artist: nely.johnson@gmail.com