Colleen Johansen
Friday Harbor, Washington
Artist Colleen Johansen creates landscape and seascape paintings that celebrate the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. With visible brushstrokes and mark-making, her compositions explore the interplay of light, shapes, and textures found in the region's natural and rural scenery. "The Pacific Northwest, with its dramatic skies, ever-changing cloud formations, and expansive waters, provides a constant source of inspiration," says Colleen. She draws inspiration from both personal memories and photographs she and her husband have taken from the places they visited. Colleen majored in art in high school before stepping away from painting for a time. She eventually returned to art and developed her own approach and style as a self-taught artist with the help of books, videos, and fellow artist friends. Colleen works from a home office overlooking a grassland and a pond, where she can watch the llamas and geese she cares for. Outside the studio, Colleen stays active through hiking, caring for her vegetable and flower gardens, and cooking, which she considers a form of edible art.
Artist Statement
My work is inspired by the natural beauty and diversity of the Pacific Northwest. Living among the landscapes of the San Juan Islands, I draw deeply from the rugged cliffs, fir forests, ocean vistas, farms, and rural scenery that surround my daily life. My paintings often focus on the rich shapes, textures, and contrasts found in nature, especially the shifting interplay of light and shadow that brings the landscape to life.
An art major in high school, my early love of art was set aside for a time as life took me in other directions. When I returned to painting, I continued developing my voice as a self-taught artist with the help of artist friends, books, and videos. The Pacific Northwest, with its dramatic skies, ever-changing cloud formations, and expansive waters, remains a constant source of inspiration.
My artistic perspective has also been shaped by earlier experiences living in places of striking natural beauty, including San Juan Island, upstate New York, Lake Tahoe, and Hawaii. My process begins with a thick, high-quality canvas, often one I stretch myself, covered with a warm layer of sienna oil paint. I use paints from a small U.S. company. While many of my works begin with reference photographs, my approach varies depending on the subject and the feeling I wish to convey.
Although my style leans toward realism, I welcome elements of impressionism and expressionism, allowing mood and subject to guide the final result. Through my paintings, I celebrate the beauty and complexity of the landscapes and seascapes I know so well, inviting viewers to experience places they may never have the opportunity to see in person.
An art major in high school, my early love of art was set aside for a time as life took me in other directions. When I returned to painting, I continued developing my voice as a self-taught artist with the help of artist friends, books, and videos. The Pacific Northwest, with its dramatic skies, ever-changing cloud formations, and expansive waters, remains a constant source of inspiration.
My artistic perspective has also been shaped by earlier experiences living in places of striking natural beauty, including San Juan Island, upstate New York, Lake Tahoe, and Hawaii. My process begins with a thick, high-quality canvas, often one I stretch myself, covered with a warm layer of sienna oil paint. I use paints from a small U.S. company. While many of my works begin with reference photographs, my approach varies depending on the subject and the feeling I wish to convey.
Although my style leans toward realism, I welcome elements of impressionism and expressionism, allowing mood and subject to guide the final result. Through my paintings, I celebrate the beauty and complexity of the landscapes and seascapes I know so well, inviting viewers to experience places they may never have the opportunity to see in person.
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