Kysa Johnson

  • Johnson’s paintings explore patterns in nature that exist at the extremes of scale, using these as a tool to reflect on our place in the physical universe and within the scope of history. Using the shapes of microscopic or macroscopic landscapes, Johnson depicts a physical reality that is invisible to the naked eye. Often these micro-patterns are built up to form compositions that relate to these invisible landscapes conceptually.

  • Exhibitions
  • Johnson graduated from the Glasgow School of Art in Glasgow, Scotland. She has exhibited at, among other venues, The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, The Tang Museum, The DeCordova Museum, Dublin Contemporary, The Nicolaysen Museum, The Katonah Museum of Art, The Hudson River Museum, The 2nd Biennial of the Canary Islands, The National Academy of Science, Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art, Morgan Lehman Gallery, Von Lintel Gallery, and Halsey McKay. Her work has been written about extensively including in Art Forum, The New York Times, Interview Magazine, The New Yorker and The San Francisco Chronicle. Her work is included in many public collections including MIT, Google, Microsoft, The Progressive Collection, Deutsche Bank, and Credit Suisse. She is a NYFA fellow (2003) and Pollock Krasner Grant recipient (2010).
  • Works
    • Kysa Johnson, Ghosts In Common - Eat the Sun - Subatomic Decay Patterns and Fall Flowers 1, 2024
      Kysa Johnson
      Ghosts In Common - Eat the Sun - Subatomic Decay Patterns and Fall Flowers 1, 2024
      Acrylic, ink and watercolor on linen
      27 x 24 x 1.5 inches
    • Kysa Johnson, Ghosts In Common - Eat The Sun - Subatomic Decay Patterns and Tangled Flowers 1, 2024
      Kysa Johnson
      Ghosts In Common - Eat The Sun - Subatomic Decay Patterns and Tangled Flowers 1, 2024
      Acrylic, ink and watercolor on linen
      27 x 24 x 1.5 inches
    • Kysa Johnson, Ghosts In Common - Cambrian Explosion - Subatomic Decay Patterns and Roses 8, 2023
      Kysa Johnson
      Ghosts In Common - Cambrian Explosion - Subatomic Decay Patterns and Roses 8, 2023
      Ink, Watercolor and Acrylic on Linen
      16.5 x 25 inches
    • Kysa Johnson, Ghosts In Common - Necessary Beauty - Subatomic Decay Patterns and Cultivated Roses 2, 2023
      Kysa Johnson
      Ghosts In Common - Necessary Beauty - Subatomic Decay Patterns and Cultivated Roses 2, 2023
      Ink, Watercolor and Acrylic on Linen
      12 x 12 x 1.5 inches
    • Kysa Johnson, Ghosts in Common – 1348/2022 (Fill Your Empty Sun With Flowers) – Subatomic Decay Patterns and Wildflowers 2, 2023
      Kysa Johnson
      Ghosts in Common – 1348/2022 (Fill Your Empty Sun With Flowers) – Subatomic Decay Patterns and Wildflowers 2, 2023
      Ink, watercolor, and acrylic on linen
      78 x 63 inches
    • Kysa Johnson, blow up 304 - the long goodbye - subatomic decay patterns and the Dark Clouds of NGC 2024, 2016
      Kysa Johnson
      blow up 304 - the long goodbye - subatomic decay patterns and the Dark Clouds of NGC 2024, 2016
      ink on high gloss on board
      24 x 24 inches