Everything is connected. Though we habitually think of ourselves as individuals, separate from each other and the world around us, we all are part of a larger story with shared worlds thriving within us. Benjamin M Johnson’s work reminds us of those worlds. His photorealistic paintings weave together a wide range of subjects, including ecology, art history, science, spirituality, and culture. He refers to his paintings as visual poems, each intended to offer a moment of expanded perspective for the viewer. A moment of shifting consciousness to quieter, more subtle realities. A moment to feel the connections.
Classically trained as an oil painter at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Benjamin uses time honored techniques of representation in a contemporary manner to nod to both the past and the present. The resulting works have shown in numerous gallery and museum exhibitions and are held in private collections throughout the US. He has been involved in a broad range of collaborative and curatorial projects, including 6&6, an art & science initiative based in the Sonoran Desert of the American Southwest where he lives and works.