Biography
Clay Johnson was born and raised in Durham, NC, 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 painter Robert Natkin in Connecticut and New York City.
In 1998 he began exhibiting paintings from his first series of mature work, which was loosely grid-based, and was inspired by the paintings of Paul Klee, such as Ancient Sound. Since then Clay’s work has been exhibited widely at galleries across the country.
He began his current series of work shortly after relocating to Wyoming, and, while essentially non-objective, the paintings contain a sense of the wide open landscape of the American west.
The new paintings can be seen at Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery in San Francisco, William Havu Gallery in Denver, and Page Bond Gallery in Richmond, Virginia.
Clay currently lives and works in Laramie, Wyoming.
Representation
Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery
San Francisco
William Havu Gallery
Denver
Page Bond Gallery
Richmond
IdeelArt
London
Current & Upcoming Exhibitions
- From All Angles, William Havu Gallery, Denver, September 8 – October 21
- Solo Exhibition, William Havu Gallery, Denver, Fall 2024
Solo Exhibitions
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
- 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