Born 1959, Melbourne, Australia
1979 Diploma of Fine Art, Caulfield Institute of Technology (now Monash Uni)
1980 Graduate Diploma of Fine Art, RMIT
1981 Diploma of Education, Melbourne State Collage
Christine Johnson’s beautiful works explore the themes of fertility and beauty; these sensuous florals being built upon in tonal layers. Award-winning Johnson has a history of painting flowers and scenes from her garden, as her love of nature stems from her early childhood experiences of her father’s close up stills of flowers, often projected on to the wall of her family home. Light has always been the subject of Johnson’s art, the imagery of the garden its language. Since her first solo exhibition in 1989, she has explored the literal and metaphorical possibilities of the garden, its forms merging in darkening light, or under cover of snow; perhaps transformed by the gold of autumn or reflected in the stillness of a pool. Her interest in the relationship between colour and light and the psychological effects of colour, brought her to study and understand the technical achievements of Italian Renaissance Maters through the drama of light and shadow. The artist uses colour as a vehicle for conveying the experience of an expanding consciousness. The subtle action of colour on feelings is achieved by the depth in her work created using multiple applications of oil glaze. The shadow-play of darkness and light changes the appearance of the material world, a reference to the mystical concept of illusion.
Christine Johnson is represented in the collections of The Australian Embassy, Paris, Monash University, Queensland University, BHP, Artbank, several regional galleries including Benalla and Hamilton Art Galleries and in many private collections.
Artbank (paintings hanging at Australian Embassy, Paris and University of New South Wales)
Benalla Art Gallery, Victoria
BHP Collection
Crown Casino
Hamilton Art Gallery
Monash University Collection
Queensland University Collection
St Kilda Arts Festival
And
2010
Fairfax Fine Art Editions, limited Edition of three prints
2005
Two etchings, Elina and Australian Sunrise, produced with printer Belinda Fox and published by Port Jackson Press, Melbourne
2004
Tapestry design for the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne
Two colour etchings, Memento and Winter Rose produced with printer Belinda fox and published by Port Jackson Press, Melbourne
2003
Paintings for the Function Foyer of the Crown Promenade Hotel, Southbank, Melbourne
2000
Commission for Karalyka Centre, City of Maroondah, Victoria
1999
Commission for foyer of the Park Hyatt Hotel, Melbourne
1997
Ernest Horton Memorial Grant
1992
The 9th R.M. Ansett Art Award, Hamilton Art Gallery, Victoria
1991
Curator-Artists Make Books:
An exhibition of artists’ books hosted by Linden Gallery, St Kilda and sponsored by the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council. The exhibition toured the following regional and interstate venues: Chameleon Gallery, Tasmania, Latrobe Valley Arts centre, Victoria and Contemporary Arts Space, Canberra
1990
Project grant, Visual Arts Board, Australia Council
1988
St Kilda Arts Festival Acquisition Prize
Featured on Radio Nationals Hindsight programme, March 2012
"Display of Floral Beauty", The Western Suburbs Weekly, May 31st - June 6th 2011, p.42
“My space: Christine Johnson”, Culture and Life, The Age, October 31 2009, p.13
“10 Things to do” (listing and picture), The Age Magazine, Goodweekend, 12 November 2005
“Framed: Christine Johnson”, Vogue Australia January 2004, p.63
“Mulch and Metaphors”, The Garden in Contemporary Art, 1997
“Sunday Programme”, GTV 9, interview with Marianne Latham
Art & Australia, Vol. 36, No.4, 1999
Allen, Felicity;
“Talent in full bloom”, Herald Sun, 27 April 2004
“Among the pick of the bunch”, Diamond Valley Leader, 18 July 2007
Beck, Chris “A flowering brush with beauty”, The Age (The Age Review: Art), 29 May 2004, p.7
Beck, Chris; “Double exposure”, The Age (A2), 5 November 2005
Cawthorn, Zelda; “Burning bright”, Herald Sun, 10 December 2001
Crawford, Ashley; ‘Christine Johnson: Sub Rosa Retable’ (review), The Sunday Age, Preview 30 October 2005
Crawford, Ashley; By autumn… the rose-garden, catalogue essay, March 2003
Florence, Naomi; “Artists from the archives”, Women’s Art Register Bulletin, No.21, May 1994
Gates, Merryn; review, “Gotham City Gossip”, 3RRR FM Radio, May 1990
Gibson, Prue; “Other Echoes”, Australian Art Collector, August 2006
Harris, Jessica; “Hunt in Hawthorn”, Melbourne Weekly Magazine, 1-7 February 2004
Heathcote, Christopher; review, Age, December 1993
Hobbs, Andrew & Inwood, Andrew; “Painstaking spontaneity”, Weekend Australian, 12-13 May 1990, p.12
Jelbart, Mary-Lou; review, Radio National, May 1992
Johnson, Christine; “Sub Rosa” (exhibition catalogue), Australian Galleries, Melbourne 2005
Johnson, Christine, and Klose, Simon, “Dark wood to white rose (exhibition catalogue)”, Benalla Art Gallery, Victoria, 2004
Johnson, Christine; “Spira Mirabilis (exhibition catalogue)”, Benalla Art Gallery, 2004
Johnson, Christine; “By autumn… the rose-garden”, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 May 2003
Litson, Jo; “Everything’s coming up roses”, Qantas Magazine, November 2003
Litson, Jo; “Flower power”, Australian, Review, 1-2 December 2001, p.14-15
Lloyd, Diane; “First rate start for new Redfern gallery”, Australian Jewish News, 18 May 1990, p.24
Low, Lenny Ann; “Spira Mirabilis: Open Gallery”, Sydney Morning
Low, Lenny Ann; “A floral tribute”, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 May 2003
Makin, Jeff; “Suite success; In the frame”, Herald Sun, 10 May 1999
Makin, Jeffrey; “Art no PC can match”, Herald Sun, 15 December 2003
Murray Cree, Laura, “Now: Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney”, State of the Arts, Oct-Dec 2004
Murray Cree, Laura & Drury, Neville; Australian Painting Now, Craftsman House, 2000
Murray Cree, Laura; “Gardens of night and shadow”, Art & Australia, June 1998
Reid, Michael; “Flower power: Michael Reid picks the best of still life investment”, The Australian, 3 March 2004
Ryan, Sonia; “The glory of the garden”, Antiques & Art, 1997
Smith, Amanda; ABC National Radio Interview: Deep End, Radio National, August 2006
The Art of Collaboration, “Masterpieces of Modern Tapestry from the Victorian Tapestry Workshop” catalogue for the exhibition at The Tyler Print Institute Gallery, Singapore], 2005
The Bulletin (listing/photo), 6 May 2003
‘Thirty’, Port Jackson Press Australia (catalogue), 18 November 2005
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