Richard Johnson’s wildlife paintings arrive at Mark Bettis Gallery
Wildlife takes on a visceral immediacy in WILD: Echoes Of Nature, on view March 14-28 at Mark Bettis Gallery in the River Arts District. Featuring encaustic artist Richard Johnson, the exhibition moves beyond traditional animal portraiture, instead capturing creatures as fleeting encounters — muscle coiled mid-stride, wings lifting into air, a steady gaze meeting the viewer’s own. Johnson works in an abstracted representational style that blurs the line between observation and emotion. Through layered pigment and fluid gesture, he transforms familiar wildlife into moments of energy and presence. Fur dissolves into brushstroke. Light fractures across a body in motion. The effect is less about documentation and more about resonance — an invitation to feel the pulse beneath the surface. The exhibition opens with a public reception on Saturday, March 14, from 5-7pm. Johnson’s work is held in private collections across the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and this latest body of work continues his exploration of the wild as both subject and sensation.
March 14-28; Opening Reception: Saturday, March 14, 5-7pm
123 Roberts St., Asheville / markbettisgallery.com