Past Exhibits
Lois Johnson
"A Romance With Art"
January 7th - March 5th, 2007
I was born in Oakland, California in 1918. When we moved to Union, Oregon 12 years later, it was like culture shock. Cows, horses, and chickens replaced the hustle and bustle of the city. Snow and ice of the Northwest replaced the sunny and mild California climate. The Depression times were hard for my family and in 1932 we once again moved into Portland to support ourselves. By 1935 I was seventeen and forced to be on my own, as my family wasn’t able to care for me at that time. I was able to get a job as a live-in housekeeper with a nice family that cared about me and became a foster family to me. I was able to live with them until I graduated from Grant High school.
My love of art started in high school and I was able to take art all 4 years that I attended. I practiced sketching and charcoal drawing. It wouldn’t be until later in my life that I discovered oils and acrylic paint.
In 1940 I met my husband, got married, and moved to Hillsboro. Soon we had two daughters and were busy raising them. I did a lot of crafts and sewing with them at home. Some of these projects brought me extra money and I sold them at local venues. Once my children got older I decided to take some oil painting lessons from a local painter, Sharon Engal.
It was Engal who really taught me to fully see the beauty in our world and all the colors in it. Then I took classes from Roberta St. Louis, who was also a fine teacher. From there I have worked on my own and I have felt that my personality has formed my own approach to my art making.
For many years I entered my paintings at the Washington County Fair where I received many 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place ribbons. These shows were great for my self-confidence and encouraged me to keep developing my painting skills.
My husband and I enjoyed 56 years together until he passed away in 1997. I was very lost for a few years adjusting to a new way of life. 
A friend of mine helped me to focus back on my art again when she introduced me to a local group of artists called Local Color. I was accepted into the group and have been painting with them every Thursday. As a group we have shown our work at St. Mary’s Church, Forest Grove Valley Arts, several wineries, and the Hillsboro Art Gallery. I had my first solo show at Cattails Gallery.
In 1995 I had saved enough money to take a trip to England and Paris, accompanied by my daughters. The biggest thrill for me was to visit the home of the artist Claude Monet. Monet is an artist I am very fond of and I am inspired by his work. I had such a wonderful time there that in 2000 my daughter Pat and I returned to Monet’s home. These trips were very influential for my work as an artist, and gave me many beautiful places to capture as my subject matter. We took a boat down the middle of France to Monaco and then saw the amazing blue of the Mediterranean Ocean. It is interesting that I have an attraction to this place. It has many similarities to Oregon, as France is on the same parallel as Oregon.
Many of my recent paintings are now based on these travels. I have been lucky enough to visit Hawaii, Kauai, and Alaska as well. My camera is always the first thing packed and I have now embraced technology and purchased a digital camera. Oregon has so much to offer and I love “Plein Air” painting with the Local Color Group. My age is starting to cause some difficulty with my sight so I now prefer to paint with acrylics. My painting keeps me busy and this truly makes me feel alive, well, and happy.
