Biography
Emily Johnson (b. 1976) was raised on a small farm in rural north central Missouri. Much of her youth was spent exploring nature, which influenced her perception of the world and sparked the desire to create. Following that passion, she moved to Kansas City to attend the Kansas City Art Institute where she studied fine art and design, receiving her BFA in 1998.
For the next 20 years she worked as a graphic designer and art director before pursuing fine art full time. Her work is shaped both by her fine art training and her graphic design experience. Working intuitively, she creates a sense of memory and place that feels both familiar and unknown. The human desire to connect with nature is a continued source of inspiration, as can be seen in many of her abstract drawings and paintings.
Emily currently works from her Kansas City, Missouri studio and lives in Prairie Village, Kansas with her husband and two cats.
A portion of all sales are donated to local non-profit organizations.
Statement
My paintings are about our attraction and innate desire to connect (or reconnect) with nature. My inspiration is often born from meditations, dreams and observations in the natural world. Through painting and drawing I explore this connection with nature, oftentimes revealing a landscape (emotional or physical) that may seem familiar to an observer, allowing a visceral reaction that feels like memory.
EDUCATIOn
1998 BFA, Kansas City Art Institute
1996 Centre d’Art La Rectoria, Independent artist workshop, Spain
CURRENT & UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
2024
Fresh, Group Exhibition, Blue Gallery, Kansas City MO
RECENT EXHIBITIONS
2023
Wonder Wall, Blue Gallery, Kansas City MO
New Works Group Exhibition, Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Flatfile & Digitalfile, H&R Block Artspace, Kansas City, MO
Liberation, group show, 80 Santa Fe Gallery, Overland Park, KS
Studio Artist Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park, KS
Director’s Cut Group Exhibition, Blue Gallery, Kansas City, MO
KCAC annual art auction, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO
2022
Wonder Wall, Blue Gallery, Kansas City MO
Fine Folk solo show, Kansas City, KS
12x12 Community Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park KS
Studio Artists Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park KS
KCAC annual art auction, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO
2021
Wonder Wall, Blue Gallery, Kansas City MO
Art for All, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO
12x12 Community Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park KS
The Green Room, Cerbera Gallery, Kansas City MO
KCAC annual art auction, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO
2020
Art for All, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Abstract Art Exhibition, Virtual Exhibit, artsteps.com
Group Show, R.G. Endres Gallery, Prairie Village KS
Avenue 82, Overland Park KS
KCAC annual art auction, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO
2019
Wonder Wall, Blue Gallery, Kansas City MO
Studio & Member Artist Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park KS
State of the Arts, R.G. Endres Gallery, Prairie Village KS
Bits & Pieces, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park KS
Women’s Invitational, Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, Leawood KS
Rolling Hills Spring Art Show, Prairie Village KS
12x12 Community Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park KS
2018
Spring Artists Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park KS
First Friday Group Art Show, Jones Gallery, Kansas City MO
Studio & Member Artist Showcase, Interurban Arthouse, Overland Park KS
Holiday Small Works Show, Vanessa Lacy Gallery, Kansas City MO