Lauren Johnson

Lauren E. Johnson grew up in Lawrence and Baldwin City, Kansas, studied at the University of Kansas and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio arts at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2015. Since graduation, she has spent her time as a gallerist, professional photographer, and fine art painter. She currently resides in Columbia, Missouri.

As a contemporary fine art painter, nature has been the overarching theme in my work. My current engagement with landscape and wildlife painting was a natural progression from my earlier focus on still life objects (mostly food). Even with as much symbolism and aesthetic interest still life objects have, I thought pursuing landscapes and animals would help me be more expressive and imaginative, imbue my work with new meaning, and take my art to the next level.

My latest paintings are an acknowledgement to a nature-centric spirituality that we all understand. It’s about the enthrallment of a sprawling landscape, or the simple beauty and ephemerality of a single bright red leaf. It’s about the freedom of being in the wilderness.

Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico