Born February 25, 1957, in Bangkok, Thailand, Claire Johnson studied Fine Arts at the University of Washington (1975 -1976) and The Academy of Art College in San Francisco (1976 -1978). In 1997 she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Art and History from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. She was a member of the Seattle Artist Cooperative Gallery Oculus from 1997 to 2000, and has been a member of SOIL Artist Cooperative since 2002.
‘Observing and recording has been central to Claire’s work. Most recently her focus has widened and turned to landscape as subject matter, depicting (in oils canvas) aerial views of broad territorial expanses.’
Esther Luttikuizen (Soil member profiles, 2007)
EDUCATION
1997BA, Visual Art, History, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
Aug, 2010Morris Graves Centenary Invitational Exhibition, Rock DeMent Gallery, Seattle, WA
Jan, 2011Forecast: Communicating Weather and Climate, Washington State Convention Center
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2010meet, greet, rinse, repeat, Troy Gua and the Collaborati, Monarch Contemporary, Seattle WA
2010Tree Drawings, Soil Backspace, Seattle, WA
2010Soil In Residence, Seattle Design Center, Seattle WA
2009Forces and Formations, Soil Gallery, Seattle, WA
2009Leaving Bozeman, Joe Bar, Seattle WA
2007Claire Johnson, Tom Foolery, Chris Theiss, Kittredge Gallery, UPS, Tacoma, WA
2007Yummy, Heineman Myers Contemporary Art, Bethesda, MD
2007In Focus, Soil Gallery, SAM Gallery, Seattle, WA
2006Aqua Art Miami, Aqua Hotel, Miami, FL
2006Introductions 2006, SAM Gallery, Seattle, WA
2006Paul Sparks: Friends, Cronies, and Colleagues, TESC, Olympia, WA
2006Claire Johnson, Gallery 070, Vashon, WA
2005Aqua Art Miami, Aqua Hotel, Miami, FL
2005Crime Scene, curated by Claire Johnson, SOIL Gallery, Seattle, WA
2005Girls Growing, curated by Jess Van Nordstrand, SOIL Gallery, Seattle, WA
2005Travelogue (small landscapes), SOIL Backspace, Seattle, WA
2004Masquerade, SOIL Gallery, Seattle, WA
2004Painters of Blight, Roq la Rue, Seattle, WA
2004Rosso, AT 31, Seattle, WA
2004Northwest Annual, Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA
2003SOIL Gallery of Collections and Creations, Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA
2003Girly Fun Show, Consolidated Works, Seattle, WA
1978The Evergreen State College, Gallery II, Olympia, WA
PRESS
Graves, Jen "The good binge: Seattle goes to Miami's art feast and eats it up."
December 14, 2006, The Stranger.
"Art Basel Miami: Aqua adds depth, variety in second outing."
December 11, 2006, Artinfo.
Hackett, Regina "'Crime Scene' investigates noir fantasies."
November 25, 2005, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Hackett, Regina "Soil Collective's self-portraits are, literally, high art."
September 17, 2004, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Hackett, Regina "Atelier 31 Gallery exhibit has 13 artists seeing red."
February 12, 2004, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Beal, Suzanne Q. "Flashpoint."
February, 2004, Art Dish.
Hackett, Regina "Taste the raw, not the cooked at COCA show."
October 7, 2003, The Seattle Post-intelligencer.
Petertil, Tucker "Painter pursues common link of humanity."
April 13, 2000, The Olympian.
Clayton, Alec "Claire Johnson's paintings document the end of an era."
October 21, 1999, The Olympian.
McTaggart, Tom "Leaving a paper trail."
August 20, 1998, The Seattle Weekly.
Fredericksen, Eric."Some Party."
August 6, 1998, The Stranger.
PUBLICATIONS
Luttikuizen, Esther. “Claire Johnson”
In Soil Member Profiles, 2007
Van Nordstrand, Jess. "Claire Johnson."
In SOIL 2006, 2006.
Catalani, Stefano. "Claire Johnson."
In SOIL: Artist Run Gallery 1995-2005, 2005.
RELATED EXPERIENCE
2007-PresentStudio Assistant, Alice Bear Conservation, works of Art on Paper, Seattle, WA
2009, 2010BFA Exhibit Production Coordinator, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA
2002-PresentMember, Soil Artist Run Gallery, Seattle, WA
2002-PresentArt Exhibition Director, Seattle Erotic Art Festival, Seattle, WA
2003-2006Operations Coordinator, Art Handler, Artech, Inc., Seattle, WA
1999-2006Guest Lecturer, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
2005Participant, Artist Trust EDGE Program, Seattle, WA
1997-2000Member, Oculus Gallery / Artist Cooperative, Seattle, WA