About the Artist
Karen Johnston
Intuitive abstract artist Karen Johnston tucks wisps of emotion into painted layers of nature and life. Her process produces images that suggest a feeling of familiarity, yet spur the imagination to reach for a personal sense of meaning. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, she was born into a family of musicians but chose a visual path. She was classically trained at the Columbus College of Art and Design, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration with a minor in Advertising. While working commercially, her art expanded from realism to abstraction as she continued to experiment and hone an inmost artistic vision. Embracing abstract expressionism granted her the freedom to combine emotion, knowledge, and energy with her own set of experiences and observations. Her lifelong affection for drawing and writing remains at the heart of her practice and regularly shows up in her work as mixed media line work and loose, intuitive marks.
Karen lives and works out of her home studio in Nashville, Tennessee. With a desire to create community, she also teaches abstract classes, introductory workshops, and founded and leads a support community for those with cancer, life-changing illnesses and caregivers. Equally passionate about projects that integrate the arts with healthcare and well-being, she collaborates with surrounding organizations that foster connection, accessibility, and growth through the arts. Much of her art stems from the inspiring relationships, stories, and attitudes she has encountered over years of walking beside others on their healing journeys as well as from her devoted time in nature. Her award-winning work has been featured in solo, group, and juried shows and can be found in private and corporate collections across the United States and internationally.
