The process of painting is central to my studio practice and these paintings serve as a reflection and exploration my midwestern experience. For me, they provide an opportunity for exploration, the complexity of color and light, to express feelings rather than merely illustrate them, and shine a light, metaphorically and otherwise, in darkness.
Douglas C. Johnson was born in central Illinois, and spent his summer youth detasseling, walking beans, and visiting extended family in rural Nebraska, where his grandfathers had been farmers. His family, on both sides, were early settlers in Illinois, in the towns of Rankin, Odell, and Henry.
Johnson holds bachelors and masters degrees in printmaking and painting from Illinois State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting from Northern Illinois University. He has exhibited in Chicago at the Peter Miller Gallery, the Addington Gallery, and the Chicago International Art Exhibition and continues with an active exhibition schedule. His work is in many private collections. He serves as the Executive Director of the McLean County Arts Center in Bloomington, IL.