ABOUT VAL JOHNSON
Val Johnson Artists Statement
“I love to paint and I love to travel. It has been the inspiration for most of the solo exhibitions I’ve had. What interest me are the people, the places and the landscape. I believe that every painting has a story to tell. I love the outback of Australia and have painted out there many times. I love to travel overseas and especially love France. I am an intuitive painter. My work is entirely individual and painted with a passion for the subject.”
In my teens I decided that I wanted to be an artist, an author or a comedian. The vocational Guidance people told me to be a stenographer! Needless to say I took no notice of that! My artistic career began in the 60’s when I was employed as a junior artist in David Jones Display Studio, and attended East Sydney Tech in the evening to study Commercial Art. What a great job that was! In those days the Display Studio consisted of artists, carpenters, silk screening and paper sculpture department, and a spray painting department. It was my job as a junior to help out in all these areas. It was very good training.
Eventually, as a senior artist, I took on the job of designing the animated Christmas window displays. It took 9 months from the first four designs to the finished windows. Each window was set up in the studio and came apart for the installation into the four windows in David Jones Elizabeth Street store. Not many artists can boast that they started their career painting fairy tales!
In 1976 A door opened for me- My husband and I moved to Bathurst for his work. ‘Decentralized’ – But this enabled me to further studies in life drawing, painting, fine crafts and printmaking. I also attended many workshops with well-known artists to improve my art practice. I took up Porcelain Art and became a member of the International Porcelain Art Teachers, giving lessons and workshops. But I wasn’t satisfied, I decided that the only way I could give up Porcelain Art to concentrate on my painting was to sell the kiln! Which I did! I succeeded in my dream of being an exhibiting member of the Royal Art Society of NSW in 1984, and a few years later was elevated to Associate. In 2015, I was elevated to Fellow!
In 1995 we moved to Canberra. I attended workshops at the school of art, and was asked to tutor at the Artists Societies first Summer Art Experience, and did that for three years. I also tutored at USQ Artists Retreat in Toowoomba twice, and have given many workshops in ACT, NSW and QLD.
Painting is my life. I’ve had a number of joint and solo exhibitions in Bathurst, Port Macquarie, Canberra, and Sydney. Travel is a passion and I get inspiration for many of my paintings travel both here and overseas. Who would have thought that at the age of 70, that I would have been taking other artists outback to paint!
My paintings have changed over the years, moving from traditional tonal realism to being more expressive and impressionistic. I love colour and this has become a feature of my work. I mainly paint in oils, but am proficient in other mediums as well. Being passionate about drawing, a sketchbook accompanies me wherever I go. Recently I joined the Canberra Urban Sketchers group. I am also a member of Strathnairn Arts, The Artists Society of Canberra, Queanbeyan Art Society, Art in Miniature Canberra, and the Royal Art Society of NSW.
So where to next? Hopefully to continue painting, travelling, improving my art work, and exhibiting. I would also like to continue taking people outback to share the wonderful places I‘ve travelled to and painted about.