Biography

Clay Johnson was born in Durham, North Carolina, where he studied art and art history at Duke University, receiving a B.A. degree in 1985. He then worked for several years as assistant to the painter Robert Natkin in Connecticut and New York City. He began showing paintings from his first series of mature work in 1998, and has since exhibited in galleries across the United States and in Europe. His work is represented in collections around the world.

Clay began work on his Strata Series shortly after relocating to Wyoming, and, while non-objective in nature, the paintings convey a sense of the wide open landscape of the American west.

The Atomic Series continues his exploration of formal concerns—light, color, texture—while introducing a more narrative element inspired by the interactions of subatomic particles.

Clay currently lives and works in Laramie, Wyoming

Artist Clay Johnson in his studio

Representation

Current & Upcoming Exhibitions

  • The Modern Landscape, Kim Eagles-Smith Fine Art, Mill Valley CA, January 23 – March 2
  • Solo Exhibition, William Havu Gallery, Denver, Fall 2024

Solo Exhibitions

2023

  • The Atomic Paintings, Mark Moore Fine Art, Los Angeles (on Artsy)

2021

  • Beneath the Surface, William Havu Gallery, Denver CO
  • Over the Line, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA

2020

  • Wide Open Spaces, 425 Market Street, San Francisco
  • The Wide Open Landscape, 555 California Street, San Francisco
  • Clay Johnson: New Paintings, Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery, Mill Valley CA

2019

  • New Paintings, William Havu Gallery, Denver
  • Latitude: New Paintings by Clay Johnson, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles

2018

  • New Paintings by Clay Johnson, George Billis Gallery, New York

2017

  • The Connected Edge, William Havu Gallery, Denver

2016

  • Wide Open: New Paintings by Clay Johnson, Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery, San Francisco

2003

  • Clay Johnson: New Paintings, District Fine Arts, Washington DC

2002

  • Clay Johnson: New Paintings, District Fine Arts, Washington DC

 

Group Exhibitions

2023

  • Good Will, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA
  • From All Angles, William Havu Gallery, Denver

2022

  • Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery at Art Market SF, San Francisco
  • Good Will: A Group Exhibition, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA

2021

  • Architecture Shape & Color, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA
  • Poets: A Group Exhibition, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA

2020

  • Glean: Select Gallery Artists, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA
  • Abstraction: Old Friends, New Faces, Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery, Mill Valley CA

2019

  • Glean: Select Gallery Artists, Page Bond Gallery, Richmond VA
  • Luxembourg Art Prize Finalists Exhibition, La Pinacothèque, Luxembourg City
  • The Modern Landscape: From Narrative to Conceptual, Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery, Mill Valley CA

2018

  • George Billis Gallery at SOFA, Chicago
  • Selected Abstracts, George Billis Gallery LA, Los Angeles
  • Summer Group Show, George Billis Gallery, New York
  • Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery at Art Market SF, San Francisco
  • George Billis Gallery at Art Palm Springs, Palm Springs

2017

  • New Acquisitions, University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie
  • Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery at Art Market SF, San Francisco
  • Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery at Art on Paper, New York

2016

  • Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery at ArtMarket Hamptons, Bridgehampton, NY
  • Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery at ArtMarket SF, San Francisco

2015

  • Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery at Art Silicon Valley, San Mateo

2004

  • Art of the Twentieth Century, Park Avenue Armory, New York

2002

  • Gallery Artists, Samson Fine Arts, New York
  • Poetic Minimalism, District Fine Arts, Washington DC
  • 14th Annual Works on Paper Exhibition, Park Avenue Armory, New York

2001

  • Gallery Artists, Samson Fine Arts, New York
  • 13th Annual Works on Paper Exhibition, Park Avenue Armory, New York

2000

  • 12th Annual Works on Paper Exhibition, Park Avenue Armory, New York

1999

  • Small Works, District Fine Arts, Washington DC
  • Talent 1999, New Artists / New Works, Samson Fine Arts, New York
  • 11th Annual Works on Paper Exhibition, Park Avenue Armory, New York