Artists Bio
Based in Silicon Valley, Mitchell Johnson moved to California in 1990 after completing his MFA at Parsons School of Design in New York City. Johnson was heavily influenced by his New York teachers Paul Resika, Leland Bell, Larry Rivers, Robert DeNiro, Sr. and Nell Blaine–all former students of Hans Hofmann. While Johnson's work is sometimes compared to Bay Area artists Richard Diebenkorn, Wayne Thiebaud and David Park, his particular use of flat color more accurately aligns him with Paul Klee, Josef Albers, and Giorgio Morandi. Johnson's work has moved continuously between abstraction and representation for over 30 years; the exploration of color always providing content and serving to unite a range of motifs. His paintings can be found in over 500 collections including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Frederick R.Weisman Museum at Pepperdine and the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC. His work is the subject of two monographs, Mitchell Johnson (Terrence Rogers Fine Art, 2004) by Peter Campion and Mitchell Johnson Doppio Binaro (Musei Senese, 2007) by Marilena Pasquali. Johnson divides his time between his California studio and his favorite painting locations in Cape Cod, Italy, France and Denmark.

Artists Statement

As Johnson explains in his own words, [he] “travels to find challenging compositions that speak to his interest in both the development of the painting and a visceral response to particular patterns and situations. I never look for beautiful vistas or quintessential moments, I stop when a view or series of colors and shapes grabs me. The views that draw me in usually speak to clarity and mystery, accessibility and elusiveness. Painting is wonderfully equipped to explore these contradictions that characterize our visual process. That is why a representational painter should heed the lessons of abstraction and be receptive to the painting’s own will. Remarkably, the canvas will inevitably contain a local quality–you don’t have to pursue that.”