Welcome: Lee Johnson

Overview

Lee Johnson was born in Wiltshire, and has lived and worked in London since 2000. He received his MA Fine Art from Central Saint Martins School of Art in 2001, and his works are held in the collections of Soho House, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge, and University of the Arts London, as well as numerous private collections worldwide (including UK, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, USA, and Australia). 

Johnson begins by painting objects or images close to hand - the daily essentials that make us who we are. These images then take on different forms through the painting process, where the transmutation from the original object or image slowly frees the painting to become something else entirely.

 

Johnson's paintings are not strictly still lives or portraits, or pure abstractions, as they are composed in the painting of the painting. They are drawn and characterised through the process of painting, creating a soulful construct of what the object or environment could be.


His paintings are thick with activity, marking the physical building of the picture, and paintings are often left a long time before completing. All original impetus is buried under the newer layers of paint, accruing new meaning. But underlying images and layers aren't 'lost', they are the drives that take the painting forward, that give the paintings' their complex personality. 

 

For further information on pricing and availability for Lee Johnson's  work, please contact lucy@circlecontemporary.co.uk

Works
  • Lee Johnson Lifeguard Chair (Costa Adeje), 2023 oil, oil pastel on canvas 190 x 125 cm
    Lee Johnson
    Lifeguard Chair (Costa Adeje), 2023
    oil, oil pastel on canvas
    190 x 125 cm
  • Lee Johnson Paddle Boarder at Midnight, 2023 oil, oil pastel on canvas 122 x 152 cm
    Lee Johnson
    Paddle Boarder at Midnight, 2023
    oil, oil pastel on canvas
    122 x 152 cm
  • Lee Johnson Summer Painting, 2023 oil, oil pastel on canvas 173 x 163 cm
    Lee Johnson
    Summer Painting, 2023
    oil, oil pastel on canvas
    173 x 163 cm
  • Lee Johnson Canal Walk III, 2023 oil, oil pastel on canvas 155 x 168 cm
    Lee Johnson
    Canal Walk III, 2023
    oil, oil pastel on canvas
    155 x 168 cm
    Sold
  • Lee Johnson Clapham Long Pond II, 2023 oil, oil pastel on canvas 190 x 125 cm
    Lee Johnson
    Clapham Long Pond II, 2023
    oil, oil pastel on canvas
    190 x 125 cm
  • Lee Johnson Paddle Boarder (study), 2023 oil, oil pastel on canvas 81 x 46 cm
    Lee Johnson
    Paddle Boarder (study), 2023
    oil, oil pastel on canvas
    81 x 46 cm
  • Lee Johnson Walking the River, 2023 oil, oil pastel on canvas 122 x 152 cm
    Lee Johnson
    Walking the River, 2023
    oil, oil pastel on canvas
    122 x 152 cm
  • Lee Johnson Walking the KANDAC, 2023 oil, oil pastel on canvas 175 x 235 cm
    Lee Johnson
    Walking the KANDAC, 2023
    oil, oil pastel on canvas
    175 x 235 cm
  • Lee Johnson English Landscape, 2023 oil, oil pastel on paper 56 x 76 cm
    Lee Johnson
    English Landscape, 2023
    oil, oil pastel on paper
    56 x 76 cm
  • Lee Johnson French Landscape (study II), 2023 oil, oil pastel on paper 42 x 59.4 cm
    Lee Johnson
    French Landscape (study II), 2023
    oil, oil pastel on paper
    42 x 59.4 cm