Today we’d like to introduce you to Clay Johnson.
Hi Clay, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I grew up near Chicago and received my Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from Northern Illinois University. I planned to go on then to graduate school. However, one of my philosophy professors, Donald Livingston, suggested I attend an art school instead. Many universities, he opined, adhered to the Mississippi Delta Theory of Education: eighty miles wide but eight inches deep. I listened and wound up later in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where I would paint and draw every day. This was a good fit for me. Guided by exceptionally talented teachers like Arthur DeCosta, Louis Sloan, and Ben Kamihira, I developed a style and practice. These talented professionals taught techniques and how to live and thrive as practicing artists. In Philadelphia, I worked plein-air on large landscape paintings and, with the help of very hard-working dealers, sold many of my paintings to a large variety of private and corporate collectors. Philadelphia is also where I met my wife, Kate Johnson, who is the brains and creator of Mamoucha Soaps, a line of wonderful handmade soaps. Kate has given me her unconditional support and honest criticism for many years.
I now live in Conway, SC, where I explore the low country marshes, beaches, and cypress swamps. I am drawn to areas with history where the imprint of people is evident. Cultivated fields and industrial infrastructure interest me as much as raw nature. The Myrtle Beach area is also home to many talented artists. I am honored to have them as friends and colleagues. (A special shout out to David Utterback- a highly talented landscape architect and artist with the soul of a poet, and Debanjana Bhattacharjee, an exceptionally gifted landscape painter and friend.) I currently show at the Georgetown Art Gallery in Georgetown, SC, home to the twenty best artists of the entire Grand Strand.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has always been challenging to be a practicing artist. Learning the necessary skills takes a lot of work and a long time. Finding teachers that even have this knowledge is rare. Turning these skills into a successful profession is another level of difficulty entirely. There is no clear path to success or even survival. Most advisers will tell you it can only be done with side jobs and fallback positions. They are right. Against all the odds, some manage to muddle through. Thrift is our friend.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I spend a lot of time painting in my studio, yet my time outdoors painting on-site (plein-air) is very special. Sometimes I learn more in an hour of working from life than I do with days of working from my imagination in the studio. Nature is a brutal, harsh, and unforgiving teacher. It is, nonetheless, always beautiful, always accessible. Failure is expected and obvious. Nature will never be still or remain unchanged. It is vast. My brain is tiny. A typical tactic of mine is to get my ideas directly from observation. I might work up rough drawings and compositions. It helps me to know beforehand, at least generally, where and what I plan to paint. Working from nature then provides the start of color development. Further work in the studio usually follows to pull it all together. (Hopefully.) On that first day of painting from nature, I may get the work 80% done. It can take weeks to complete the final 20%. That is, if I do not ruin it first.
We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is an elusive concept for an artist. Of course, we all desire fame, fortune, and the respect of our peers, but even all that can be deceptive and fall short. Most serious artists wind up just hoping to be able to continue with their work. My best success would be to paint a beautiful painting. This cannot be faked. The rest is noise.
Contact Info:
- Website: ClayJohnsonFineArt.com
- Instagram: instagram: @clayjohnsonfineart
Image Credit:
John
