Travel Sketches Foreword by David Yeadon

Once again—BRAVO, JOHN!

All the vital elements of true travel and art are captured in Johansen's latest book. First, of course, are his iconic co-conspirators--exploration and adventure--the senses of unexpected wonder and discovery in the subjects themselves. Even the more familiar images are portrayed in such a way that we see them fresh as if for the first time. Second comes the energy of the images themselves. While some possess a distinctly architectonic style (we all know Johansen's amazing career in that field), we sense the unique power of each subject and the energy of the artist himself, spurred on by a sketch-completion time of one hour or less. Then comes love--Johansen's intense love of the location itself. In other artists this might encourage a somewhat sycophantic approach smothered in stultifying humility--but not so in this case (of course not!). John's innate celebration of form, space and the essential character of each image is utterly personal and unrestrained, and he offers this to us unbound by stylistic clichés.

Finally there is his sharing. As he has exemplified throughout his outrageously long and varied career, sharing is a key element of his architectural and many other masterworks. He shares openly and generously to help us understand and celebrate the joy, intensity and 'duende' of his very personal experiences and expressions.

It must be remembered that these works, most completed in the mid-1970s, reflect a youthful Johansen enjoying his first real love affairs with Renaissance Italy and other evocative locales. His later works have revealed an individual of ever-increasing skills, diversity, perception, untrammeled curiosity, and multitudinous talents. In fact, Johansen is a true 'multi-self' of many personae, each characterized by boundless exuberance and effervescent interpretations.

I have valued my friendship with John for years and my library contains a special section on his creativity in the form of his illustrated books, his architectural imaginings complete with extremely esoteric DVDs, his original (very) artworks, his lyrical songs and recordings, his notorious limericks, his zany little greeting cards, etc. etc. He is a man to be honored and thanked for all his diverse revelations and his constant adventuring which encourage us all to dig deeper into ourselves, celebrate our undiscovered personae, and leave legacies of constant spiritual exploration and expansion.

So, thank you once again, my friend, mentor, and magician of the soul, and congratulations on this ,your latest creative opus. You are indeed a true 'Renaissance Man' whose soul-spirit will ripple through our earthly existence for generations to come.

You are, quite simply, eternal!

David Yeadon is the author-illustrator of over 25 adventure travel books encompassing many of the 'hidden corners' and 'lost worlds' of our planet. He has also been a regular contributor to The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic Traveler and many other travel magazines.

For more details visit: www.davidyeadontravel.com