Cathy Johnson

I live, work and study in Toronto, Ontario.  

I picked up my brushes in 2004 with the first of many ongoing formal painting classes.  I’m a perpetual student – of art and life in general.  While my art is largely self-taught, I have benefited from and grown through numerous workshops and courses at the Gallery School at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Haliburton School of Fine Art.  

Working almost exclusively in acrylics, the Canadian landscape is my subject matter of choice.  I draw much inspiration from the Algonquin Park area in Ontario, but hiking, camping, canoe, kayak and car trips in Killarney Park, Georgian Bay, Prince Edward Island, north shore of Lake Superior, et al have all been sources for my paintings.  I hope to continue exploring the beauty of Canada.
  
While the majority of my paintings are completed indoors, I occasionally paint outdoors (plein-air), which is a very special experience.  The landscape seems to soak into me and the painting is a very emotional response.  I’m always amazed at what comes out of it, indoors or out.  

I paint as a way to pay tribute to the beauty of nature, and specifically to the beauty of Canada.  A way to give something back, as well as (I’ve discovered) an unintentional self-exploration.