Eric Johnston immediately captured my attention with his website's homepage, featuring a photograph of him with his dog, a Dane/Hound mix with the moniker of Milo, whose coat is surely worthy of replication as art-which isn't far off Johnston's regular source of inspiration: pattern.

His wall sculptures or assemblage paintings are inspired by repeated compositions that Johnston suggests he sees in everyday urban life: "shipping pallets, bar codes, a broken wall or a peeling billboard." Best of all, he makes his art from discarded pieces of wood, in the grand tradition of found objects (a glorified euphemism for dumpster diving)-a recycling process of which he's particularly proud. Johnston explains that he draws "with the pieces of wood," a lovely impossibility and yet a perfect metaphor for the way he blends two of his favorite things: carpentry and painting.

The materials and process are important indeed, but some might argue that the work itself-the product of his eco-sensibility and artistic talent-should trump the intention behind it. And it does. His use of line is impeccable, creating pieces that seem to undulate with depth. One would think that wood were more pliable, as easy to manipulate as paint. We might call Johnston a wood weaver. Control over his medium is particularly evident in the wall sculptures with many right angles and intersections. I must also mention his use of color, saturated yet elegant: one piece I love uses purple on purple. Having worked for renowned colorfield painter Kenneth Noland and as a decorative paint artist and professional scenic, Johnston knows color.

Because of their reliance on line, the wall sculptures-most of which measure 3 or 4-foot square-will fulfill diverse design needs: residential and commercial, modern and traditional (dare I say postmodern as well?). I can see Johnston's assemblage art in one of Steeprock Builder's Telluride homes (all of which incorporate repurposed materials, such as old elevators from abandoned mines) as easily as in one of Zaha Hadid's sleek architectural wonders. Now if Johnston would just create a new painting based on his dog's coat, I'd definitely be in the market.

Visit Eric Johnston this weekend at BKLYN DESIGNS.