Meet Dion Johnson, a Los Angeles-based painter whose abstract compositions pulse with color, movement, and the charged energy of lived experience. Working between hard-edge structure and atmospheric depth, Johnson builds compositions intuitively — introducing color, inventing form, and trusting the …
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Dion Johnson
Los Angeles, CA
Painting
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Biography
Dion Johnson (b.1975, Bellaire, OH) is an abstract painter known for compositions featuring hard-edge shapes and lines bursting with vibrant color. Frequently inspired by place and landscape, his pieces often contain atmospheric elements.
Johnson received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University in 1997 and his Master of Fine Arts from Claremont University in 2000. He has exhibited extensively across the nation. His exhibitions have included shows at The Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH; Western Project, Los Angeles, CA; and the International Print Center, New York, NY. Johnson’s work has been reviewed and featured in articles in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, ART News, Art Forum and others.
Haystack Perspective
Dion Johnson’s large paintings are alive – undulating lines and swathes of saturated hues drape the picture plane in a way that can best be described as sensuous. Johnson’s vivid colors are lush and luminous, daring and bright. Blue, pink, green, maroon, teal, gray, black, white, and yellow form a rhythmic pattern both chaotic and inviting. With his color palettes and shifting planes, Johnson showcases his ability to emulate the energy of a time and place. Lines travel throughout his compositions with a buzzy saunter and maverick confidence, brazen as neon signs but instilled with tranquil melodies.
Press
2019 | The Columbus Dispatch | Driving Forces by Peter Tonguette
Recent Exhibitions
L.A. Louver
Dion Johnson: Color Play
Venice, CA
2023
Contemporary Art Matters
Dion Johnson and Michael Reafsnyder: Two of Us
Columbus, OH
2023
Bentley Gallery
Dion Johnson: High-Def Color Phase
Phoenix, AZ
2023