Meet Angela Johnson | Abstract Artist & Real Estate Agent

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angela Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angela, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Over the years I’ve realized I’m much less risk-adverse than most people, which I think has been key to most of the success I’ve had. That’s not to say I’ve never failed, I’ve failed many times in fact, sometimes very publicly and spectacularly! But the more risks you take, the more chances you give yourself to succeed. Without taking risks you limit your chances for success. Learning to move on and move forward after the failures also gives you more strength to take future risks. When you realize you ARE strong enough to withstand the failures they’re far less intimidating. That being said, I’m a big fan of a plan B, and often a plan C or even D. If you have multiple potential paths that excite you then failure is way less of a big deal. It’s just a matter of picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and moving on to the next exciting thing!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Currently I split my time between doing Real Estate full time, and creating abstract art part time. Prior to venturing into real estate I ran a home decor manufacturing business called Norwegian Wood, which we manufactured here in LA. After 17 years of running this business I decided in 2023 that I was ready for a change, and began morphing it into a home staging company, which is in support of my real estate business. One of my strengths as an agent is in the preparation of the home for sale, and I love breathing new life into a home. Sometimes it’s hard for clients who’ve been in a home for a long time to see it with fresh eyes, which is where I come in, and help the home shine. My years in online, direct to consumer retail gave me a thorough understanding of how to present and market all types of things for sale online, and that translates surprisingly well to houses!

The art portion of my life mainly happens in the evenings or the odd day off, and is a practice that lets me explore a completely different part of my brain. I work in recycled leather, wood, and acrylic paint, creating abstract pieces that are reminiscent of geological surveys, city maps, or land elevations. Currently I’m focusing on three main series:

The Passage of Time Series:
The idea of perfection and control are challenged with this series that is designed to change over time. Made from undyed, naturally tanned leather applied to wood, these pieces will continue to darken over the years with exposure to light and air. They are ever evolving pieces of art that the owner lives with and accepts. A piece made 1 year ago will look different from a piece made 5 years ago.

The Metropolis Series:
This series explores the contrasts between fluidity and lack of control within nature, vs the rigidity and organization of modern life. Shapes embrace the natural curves, flaws and branding found in leather hides are contrasted with hand cut pieces that form grid patterns, mimicking the contrast found in all modern cities.

The Deja Vu Series:
This series plays with fleeting feelings of familiarity. So close you can almost touch it, but immediately lost if you focus too hard. This style of work is often customized in the clients color palette and is a very loose framework that is constantly evolving, but always including leather and acrylic paint, sometimes with the addition of wood.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
As a Canadian living in LA for the past 7 years, I have to say, I do have a lot of visitors and they often come in the winter! I always try to cater the experience to the particular person who’s visiting, but in general some of my favorite places to take people are:
– The Old Place in Agoura Hills for my carnivore friends
– Thrift stores in Simi Valley or Ventura for a day trip
– The Huntington Library gardens for nature
– The Elysian Theater for comedy
– Mohawk General Store in Silver Lake for fashion and gifts
– Cocktails at L& E Oyster Bar then dinner at Botanica in Silver Lake for my vegetarian friends
– The Pierce & Ward store on Hillhurst for home decor
– The Dresden Room for cocktails
– Cowboy Palace Saloon for line dancing

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As cheesy as it is, I want to give a Shoutout to my husband, Aaron Contreras. He always believes in me, no matter how adventurous or absurd my ideas are! He’s a Narrative Director for video games and has recently been taking on more responsibilities in Creative Direction and Cinematic Direction and it’s been inspiring to see him flex his creative muscles in a new way. He came up in the video game industry before that was even something it was even possible to get a degree in, so he’s been self taught and honed his craft on the job over the years, starting from the bottom (night shift game testing). It’s a good reminder that the creative process is always ongoing, and there are always new things to learn and new ways you can challenge yourself and grow.

Website: https://www.norwegianwoodonline.com and https://www.angelaandanthony.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/norwegianwoodonline/

Image Credits
Angela Johnson