Elizabeth Johnson
Artist Bio: A professional artist for more than 40 years, Elizabeth Johnson has honed skills learned in workshops to create whimsical portraits of Fey and Flowers. She is currently working on several fantasy-inspired series of woodland and sea creatures:
Her pastel and oil paintings reflect her love of flowers and portraits combined with her visions of the magic and fantasy surrounding her home. She blends that with her unique sense of color and design. Behind each Elven, pixie face, the quizzical, the questing, lonely or love-stricken is a story. |
The Series
The Fairy Flower Festival is ever evolving. It started out as a series of pastels of Fairies, Elves and Flowers. The characters began taking on personalities, then politics reigned. The basic premise was there was a festival held every May to choose the May Queen. The contestants were pared down to a dozen. Each contender entered a banner with their likeness and the flower, plant, shrub etc. that they grew. The Fey voted on their favorite by putting their choice and their sigil into a slotted box. The Autumn Fairy argued her leaves should be considered for her entry. Then the Elves who grew caladiums fought to get their entries considered. The mermaid argued that they should be considered for the shells they cultivated. You get the picture and it was not pretty!
The Maitland Art Center series are 24" X 36" oils on canvas. The Elves and Fairies are in front of the elaborately carved sculptures that adorn the walls and surround the doorways of the Maitland Art Center, known for it's "Mayan Revival" fantasy architecture.
Forest Fae and Fauna are pastel portraits of characters in a novel I started. My obsession with creating the characters overtook the writing and it may never get past chapter 9. I wanted to show all the fascinating Fae such as Dryads, Mermaids, Elves, Druids, Dwarves, Centaurs, Fauns etc. who live in the land...
The Floral Series are pastels of flowers grown in my lanai, often used as studies for larger pieces.
Gallery Representation:
"Tiger Cub with Butterfly" and "Trouble Teen" will be in the Tampa Regional Artists "Fin, Fur and Feather" show which runs Aug. 2-Sept. 1, 2017.
"Amara and "Adriel" were in the Tampa Regional Artists "Faces and Figures" show which ran from July 5-July 28, 2017.
"Ice Princess" is currently in the Morean Arts Center members show which runs through Aug. 18, 2017. I was also in the holiday show which was held from Nov. 12-Dec. 30. I am also in their artist directory.
I had a one-woman show of 12 pastels at Brooksville Brewing, 1320 Commercial Way Spring Hill, FL. The show was from Nov. 18 through Dec. 31, 2016.
Art Organizations:
I am a member of the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, FL 33701 http://www.moreanartcenter.org.
I also joined the Brandon Art League, Brandon, FL.
I am a member of the Tampa Regional Artists.
Awards:
I won Best in Show at the Creative Artist Gallery Mardi Gras show held March, 2017.
I took 3rd place at the Caladium Fine Art Show in Lake Placid in March, 2017.
I captured 2nd place at Fright Fall Festival at the Creative Artist Gallery Oct. 2017.
To Find me on the Internet:
I am a member of Deviant Art: Forestborzoi7729
This is the largest art gallery and community for artists. You can buy prints in a variety of sizes and frame them yourself to save money.
I have a web page on Fine Art America: http://18-elizabethjohnson-fineartamerica.com.
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/johnsoneliz0389
I have a store on:
Imagekind: http://Forestfaeandfauna.imagekind.com (or put Elizabeth Johnson in search). You can buy my prints on paper or canvas and you can choose the frame to fit your decor.
Society6: Dragon Design Elizabeth Johnson. This is the perfect site to find gifts with my images on them. It has tote bags, pillows, towels, beach towels, shirts, mugs, phone cases, laptop skins, etc.
Etsy: ForestFae77. You can buy my prints in a variety of sizes.
Artist's Statement:
I didn't know it then, but art's life-long enchantment over me started in childhood, drawing my visions of dresses in a sketchpad, probably not much different than thousands of artists.
But the wonderful part was that my great-aunt Ursula, a seamstress for a Manhattan Opera company, made patterns from paper bags using my sketches and sewed Easter dresses my sisters and I wore to church.
It's been a long journey.
I believe things happen for a reason, and one step leads to another, even if you can't see what's just ahead.
Each step in my progression through pen and ink, watercolor, gouache, oils, acrylics and pastels helped me transform my visions to my artwork, much like my aunt stitched my ideas into reality.
The skills, creativity and techniques of artists I've studied with and classes I've taken with infused and inspired me through their knowledge and insights, the lessons from each building and meshing with the others. All blend to help me more closely bring the images in my mind to canvas or paper.
What I learned refined my love of portraiture, design, color and pattern.
I revel in the never-ending ability of color to surprise and blend into something new and unexpected. The way patterns interact and interweave with the whole of the artwork. How views of the lush landscape around my home can influence a next brushstroke.
For every artist, life is evolution and discovery. It's a progress that will never end.
The Fairy Flower Festival is ever evolving. It started out as a series of pastels of Fairies, Elves and Flowers. The characters began taking on personalities, then politics reigned. The basic premise was there was a festival held every May to choose the May Queen. The contestants were pared down to a dozen. Each contender entered a banner with their likeness and the flower, plant, shrub etc. that they grew. The Fey voted on their favorite by putting their choice and their sigil into a slotted box. The Autumn Fairy argued her leaves should be considered for her entry. Then the Elves who grew caladiums fought to get their entries considered. The mermaid argued that they should be considered for the shells they cultivated. You get the picture and it was not pretty!
The Maitland Art Center series are 24" X 36" oils on canvas. The Elves and Fairies are in front of the elaborately carved sculptures that adorn the walls and surround the doorways of the Maitland Art Center, known for it's "Mayan Revival" fantasy architecture.
Forest Fae and Fauna are pastel portraits of characters in a novel I started. My obsession with creating the characters overtook the writing and it may never get past chapter 9. I wanted to show all the fascinating Fae such as Dryads, Mermaids, Elves, Druids, Dwarves, Centaurs, Fauns etc. who live in the land...
The Floral Series are pastels of flowers grown in my lanai, often used as studies for larger pieces.
Gallery Representation:
"Tiger Cub with Butterfly" and "Trouble Teen" will be in the Tampa Regional Artists "Fin, Fur and Feather" show which runs Aug. 2-Sept. 1, 2017.
"Amara and "Adriel" were in the Tampa Regional Artists "Faces and Figures" show which ran from July 5-July 28, 2017.
"Ice Princess" is currently in the Morean Arts Center members show which runs through Aug. 18, 2017. I was also in the holiday show which was held from Nov. 12-Dec. 30. I am also in their artist directory.
I had a one-woman show of 12 pastels at Brooksville Brewing, 1320 Commercial Way Spring Hill, FL. The show was from Nov. 18 through Dec. 31, 2016.
Art Organizations:
I am a member of the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, FL 33701 http://www.moreanartcenter.org.
I also joined the Brandon Art League, Brandon, FL.
I am a member of the Tampa Regional Artists.
Awards:
I won Best in Show at the Creative Artist Gallery Mardi Gras show held March, 2017.
I took 3rd place at the Caladium Fine Art Show in Lake Placid in March, 2017.
I captured 2nd place at Fright Fall Festival at the Creative Artist Gallery Oct. 2017.
To Find me on the Internet:
I am a member of Deviant Art: Forestborzoi7729
This is the largest art gallery and community for artists. You can buy prints in a variety of sizes and frame them yourself to save money.
I have a web page on Fine Art America: http://18-elizabethjohnson-fineartamerica.com.
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/johnsoneliz0389
I have a store on:
Imagekind: http://Forestfaeandfauna.imagekind.com (or put Elizabeth Johnson in search). You can buy my prints on paper or canvas and you can choose the frame to fit your decor.
Society6: Dragon Design Elizabeth Johnson. This is the perfect site to find gifts with my images on them. It has tote bags, pillows, towels, beach towels, shirts, mugs, phone cases, laptop skins, etc.
Etsy: ForestFae77. You can buy my prints in a variety of sizes.
Artist's Statement:
I didn't know it then, but art's life-long enchantment over me started in childhood, drawing my visions of dresses in a sketchpad, probably not much different than thousands of artists.
But the wonderful part was that my great-aunt Ursula, a seamstress for a Manhattan Opera company, made patterns from paper bags using my sketches and sewed Easter dresses my sisters and I wore to church.
It's been a long journey.
I believe things happen for a reason, and one step leads to another, even if you can't see what's just ahead.
Each step in my progression through pen and ink, watercolor, gouache, oils, acrylics and pastels helped me transform my visions to my artwork, much like my aunt stitched my ideas into reality.
The skills, creativity and techniques of artists I've studied with and classes I've taken with infused and inspired me through their knowledge and insights, the lessons from each building and meshing with the others. All blend to help me more closely bring the images in my mind to canvas or paper.
What I learned refined my love of portraiture, design, color and pattern.
I revel in the never-ending ability of color to surprise and blend into something new and unexpected. The way patterns interact and interweave with the whole of the artwork. How views of the lush landscape around my home can influence a next brushstroke.
For every artist, life is evolution and discovery. It's a progress that will never end.