Dickinson Painter Is Galveston Art League’s Featured Artist

Artist Lee Johnson of Dickinson is the Galveston Art League’s Featured Artist for January. Her paintings, which have a luminous effect and graceful style, will be exhibited and available for purchase from Jan. 3-27 at the Art League’s downtown Galveston gallery, 2117A Postoffice St.
    Johnson works in watercolor, acrylic, and oil. Watercolor is her favorite medium, “because I can explore in it more and do different effects and mix it with another medium.” She paints every day and advises other artists ― both aspiring and accomplished ones ― to paint every day, just as a pianist must practice, Johnson says.
    She teaches oil painting, beginning watercolor, and advanced watercolor at the College of the Mainland’s Lifelong Learning Center in La Marque, where she also has taken classes. Her favorite subjects to paint include plants, landscapes, portraits, wildlife, and abstracts.
    “Design is the most important thing in a painting,” says Johnson. “I messed around for 10 years before I learned design, and then it was like a light switch turned on. By design, I mean the objects to include in the painting and where to put them; the darks, lights, and mid-tones to use; the big and little pieces you need. And you need a big object that stands out. All of these go into the design of a painting.”
    She enters regional competitions such as the Texas City Art Show and the Galveston Art League’s juried competitions. Her awards include a March 2018 Best of Show for Tropicals and a Winter 2017 Best of Show for Sunflower in juried shows held by the Art League. (The Galveston Art League Gallery holds three juried competitions per year; league members’ entry fees are discounted. The organization’s website ― www.GalvestonArtLeague.com ― has details about juried shows.)
    Johnson, who began painting about three decades ago, sells her paintings at both Galveston Art League galleries and is a professional member of the 105-year-old nonprofit organization. She also sells through exhibits such as those held at the Dickinson library in May and the Seabrook library in June.

Submitted by: Mary Vinnedge

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