Bio
A Seattle native, Kelly Johnston earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting + Drawing with a minor in Art History from the University of Washington. In addition to painting, she has worked in the interior design industry and created a line of handmade jewelry. Kelly has exhibited her work in venues throughout the Pacific Northwest including the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Anthropologie, West Elm and the Bloedel Reserve. She has been featured in Create! Magazine, Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine, HGTV Magazine, and on Domino.com. Her work can also be found in three collections of limited edition prints, available at Minted.com, the Sebastian Foster Gallery, and her signature collection available on her website and in her gallery.
Kelly lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington with her husband and two children. Most days she can be found working in her studio/gallery space in downtown Winslow - please stop by and say hello!
Artist Statement
My work is consistently inspired by the landscape, particularly in the poetic interplay of sunlight on the water’s surface as well as the abstract, ever-shifting qualities of clouds and sky. Working with water soluble oils or gouache, I use fluid brushstrokes and bold color to evoke sunlit spaces and to highlight the organic patterns I find in nature. My paintings are at once a celebration of the splendor of the natural world, and a reminder of the fleeting nature of our human experience. I hope my paintings provide the viewer a moment to pause, reflect, and marvel at the beauty that surrounds us.
Education
2000 BFA; Painting + Drawing, Minor; Art History. University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024 Featured Artist, Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty, Bainbridge Island, WA
2023 Featured Artist, Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty, Bainbridge Island, WA
2023 Featured Artist, Windermere Real Estate, Bainbridge Island, WA
2018 Featured Artist, Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty, Bainbridge Island, WA
2017 Featured Artist, Anthropologie, Seattle, WA
2017 Featured Artist, West Elm, Seattle, WA
2016 Water Marks, Anthropologie, Seattle, WA
2016 A Vivid Perspective, The Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island, WA
2016 Wavelengths, Bainbridge Performing Arts Gallery, Bainbridge Island, WA
2016 Illuminated, Bainbridge Public Library, Bainbridge Island, WA
2016 New and Recent Paintings, Ghost Gallery for Rocco's, Seattle, WA
2015 Featured Artist, Lark, Bainbridge Island, WA
2015 Water Works, West Elm, Seattle, WA
2015 Rise : Set, new paintings, Anthropologie, Seattle, WA
2014 Above & Below: Paintings by Kelly Johnston, VELOURIA, Seattle, WA
2014 Kelly Johnston: Six Paintings, Mainframe Gallery for Pies & Pints, Seattle, WA
2014 Featured Artist, CAPERS, Seattle, WA
2001 Featured Artist, Trine Studios, Seattle, WA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 10x10x10xTieton, Mighty Tieton Warehouse, Tieton, WA
2021 BIMA Bash!, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA
2020 Washington State Juried Art Competition, Collective Visions Gallery, Bremerton, WA
2019 Northwest Fine Arts Competition, Phinney Center Gallery, Seattle, WA
2019 BIMA Bash!, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA
2018 Paint Out Winslow, Bainbridge Island, WA
2018 Art is happening, Bainbridge Public Library, Bainbridge Island, WA
2018 BIMA Bash!, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA
2017 10x10x10xTieton, Mighty Tieton Warehouse, Tieton, WA
2017 Unity at the Bemis, Bemis Building, Seattle, WA
2017 Arts In The Park, Arts & Humanities Bainbridge, Bainbridge Island, WA
2017 Northwest Fine Arts Competition, Phinney Center Gallery, Seattle, WA
2016 Kitsap Arts & Crafts Juried Fine Arts Show, Kingston, WA
2016 Seattle Showhouse, Hosted by ATG Stores, Decorist and Porch, Seattle, WA
2015 10x10x10xTieton, Mighty Tieton Warehouse, Tieton, WA
2015 By Land or By Sea: Ed Bopp, Kelly Johnston, Mainframe Gallery, Seattle, WA
2014 The Gang's All Here, 2nd Annual Group Show, Mainframe Gallery, Seattle, WA
2014 Northwest Lights: Paintings by Kelly Johnston and Edna Crews, Mainframe Gallery, Seattle, WA
2014 SUN TILT Group Show, Ghost Gallery for Stylus Salon, Seattle, WA
Awards
2021 Editors’ Award, Minted Art at Scale: Large Format Art Challenge, Minted.com
2020 Editors’ Award, Minted Spotlight on Art Quickfire Fine Art Challenge, Minted.com
2019 Jurors’ Choice, Northwest Fine Arts Competition, Phinney Center Gallery, Seattle, WA
2019 Editors’ Award, Minted Dream Big Wall Mural Challenge, Minted.com
2019 Editors’ Award, Minted x Pottery Barn Kids x PBTeen Walls That Wow Art Challenge, Minted.com
2018 2 Editors’ Awards, Minted Make a Statement Large Format Art Challenge, Minted.com
2017 Editors' Award, Minted x West Elm Art Challenge, Minted.com
2017 2 Editors’ Awards, Young at Art Minted x Pottery Barn Kids Art Challenge, Minted.com
2016 Editors' Award & 'Behind the Piece' Prize, Spaces & Places Art Challenge, Minted.com
2015 Editors' Award, Minted x Domino Round 2 Art Challenge, Minted.com
2015 2 Editors' Awards, For Art's Sake Challenge, Minted.com
2015 2 Editors' Awards, Minted x West Elm 3rd Art Challenge, Minted.com
2015 Top 30 Award, Work of Art Challenge, Minted.com
2014 Editors' Award, Minted x Domino Art Challenge, Minted.com
2014 Top 20 Award, Minted + West Elm Art Challenge, Minted.com
Press
2017 Create! Magazine, Issue VI
2016 HGTV Magazine, Designing a Modern-Meets-Traditional Kitchen, January Issue
2015 Domino.com, At Home with a Minted Artist
2015 Luxe Interiors + Design Magazine, Pacific Northwest Winter Issue
2014 Fresh Paint Magazine, Vol. 4
Collections
Swedish Medical Center Foundation
Suncadia Resort