Paul Aaron Johnson was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1957, and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He currently lives and works in New York City as a 3-D lenticular photographer, and as an Emmy Award winning director of animation and special effects. 


Paul Aaron Johnson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The Cooper Union in 1979.  It was there that he first became interested in 3-D photography and other 3-D imaging techniques from his professor Alfons Schilling. Alfons Schilling is an expert in field of 3-D imaging techniques, and experimented with almost every method known, as well as developing several new ones.  Johnson also studied 3-D printmaking from Gerald Marks, another 3D artist at The Cooper Union who taught him the 3-D anaglyph silkscreen process that he perfected asthe first to have absolutely no ghosting.


After graduation, Paul Aaron Johnson began his first career as a directing/designer of animation and special effects.  Johnson worked for 25 years as an award winning director who has worked for some of the top animation and effects companies in the business, such as R/Greenberg & Associates, and LucasArts Industrial Light and Magic.


In 2004, Paul Aaron Johnson was drawn back to 3-D photography to work with his professor Gerald Marks from Cooper Union, on the NewSight auto-stereoscopic 3-D display.  The NewSight display is a glasses free 3-D system capable of displaying a range of 2 to 24 different views of a subject simultaneously without the need for special glasses, very similar to the 3-D lenticular process. 


Using his experience as an animator, Paul Aaron Johnson then developed his own techniques for making digital lenticular prints to create a more permanent representation of his 3D photography.  He has used his 3D photographic techniques to produce 3D lenticular prints for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, and Ball-Nogues architectural studio.  Paul Johnson also had a solo exhibition of his 3D lenticular photography series, “Home Away From Home”, at the Ricco Maresca Gallery.  


Paul Aaron Johnson’s most recent work is the development of a method for making the first 3-D Shadowgraphs, or Rayographs ever produced.  The 3-D Shadowgraph is loosely based on the Schadograph, or Rayograph techniques of Christian Schad, and Man Ray respectively.  The main difference is that the 3D Shadowgraph is made digitally for lenticular printing, and the light source is moved in order to generate 3-D shadows of the objects.

Exhibitions:


Gendered Object: Barbie As Art

Ann Street Gallery, 104 Ann Street, Newburgh, NY. May 19 - June 30, 2012.

A group exhibition, Three large format 3-D lenticular shadowgraphs with Barbie.


Bloom Time

Holiday Inn Manhattan View & Space Realty Group Gallery, 39-05 29 St., LIC, NY.  April 20 - August 30, 2012

Two 3-D lenticular photographs of flowers, 12” x 12”.


Barbie Dreams In 3D

A Taste of Art at The Kaufman Arcade, 139 W. 35th Street at 7th Ave. & Broadway, NY, NY. Oct. 13 - Dec. 10, 2011.

A solo exhibition of fourteen large format 3-D lenticular shadowgraphs.


LICARTS Open 2011

As part of the LICArtists Open Studios Exhibit, Murano, 519 Borden Ave., LIC, NY.  May. 14 - May 22, 2011

Four 3-D Shadographs "Egg Beater Delux", "Measuring Spoons", "Trois Barbies", & "Barbie & Cupie" 12” wide x 18” high.


In the Eye of the Beholder

As part of the Armory Show events, Space Realty Group, 29-09 39th Ave., LIC, NY.  Feb. 24 - May 25, 2011

Two 3-D Shadographs "Bottles & Prisms" & "Stereo Mechanism" 12” wide x 18” high.


Voice Of Fire

Holiday Inn Manhattan View, 39-05 29 St., LIC, NY.  May 27 - August 25, 2010

Three 3-D lenticular photographs from the "Reflection" series, 12” x 12”.


ArtExpo

Peir 94, 711 12 Avenue. NY, NY.  March 25 - 28, 2010

Four 3D lenticular photographs from the "NYC" series, 36” x 24”,

and four 3-D prints from the "50 Cent Kid's Rides" series.


Y Water, 50 Bottles-50 Artists

Ivy Brown Gallery, 675 Hudson Street, NY, NY. March 15 – April.

One sculptural piece in a group show.


Riverview Restaurant

LIC, NY.  Oct 17 – April 15, 2010

Seven 3-D lenticular photographs from the NYC area, 27” x 18”


Home Away From Home

Ricco Maresca Gallery, 529 West 20th Street 3rd Floor, NY, NY. May 21- July 31, 2009

Solo exhibition of 3-D lenticular photographs of campsite series.


Trans-Positions Along the Queensborough Bridge

Centennial anniversary of the Queensborough Bridge, group show.

Packard Square Lobby, 41-34 Crescent Street, LIC, NY. May 28 – July 31, 2009.

Two 3-D lenticular photographs of the Queensborough Bridge, 27” x 18”


Be Film Festival

The Dolby Screening Room, 1350 Ave. of the Americas, NY, NY. April 28 – May 2, 2009

“Mandala” in 3-D, 4 minute animated film.


The Armory Show

LICArtists Inc. 10-10 44th Ave. NY, NY.  Mar. 5 – 8, 2009


Celebrate, LIC Artists Inc. Exhibition

5-46 50th Avenue, LIC, NY.  Dec. 5, 2008 - Jan. 30, 2009

Two 3-D Lenticular photographs from the "50 Cent Kids Rides" series.