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From the outset, Cheryl Johnson’s work has been a continuous exploration of medium and method. Driven by a deep affinity for the Abstract Expressionists, she paints for the pure pleasure of the process itself. Her portfolio is inherently eclectic—a reflection of an artist who draws style and inspiration from a diverse range of sources to create something entirely new. Early inspirations include Joan Mitchell who oddly holds the same birth date as Cheryl Johnson.It is a striking coincidence that transcends mere chance: Joan Mitchell and Cheryl Johnson share the exact same birthdate, February 12. This shared cosmic entry point creates a profound spiritual link between the two artists, as if the universe—or a higher divine hand—earmarked this specific day to bring a particular kind of creative energy into the world. Perhaps it was no accident that they were both chosen to translate the complexities of human emotion into the language of abstract color and light. For Cheryl, this connection feels less like an influence and more like a shared destiny, a celestial confirmation that she was always meant to carry forward the vibrant, gestural legacy that Mitchell first ignited.
Each series represents a unique chapter in her evolving creative narrative. We invite you to explore these curated collections and experience Cheryl’s latest experiments in oil and mixed media. READ MORE
Happiness Series
Happiness Series
Cheryl Johnson reveals the boundless possibilities of painting, driven by her passion for layers and aided by a gestural mark-making style that truly sets her work apart. The artist's energetic canvases undergo an alchemical transformation as a result of her transparent glazes adding veiled colors as well as the uncontrollably organic interactions between the oil and resin she often chooses to pour a propriety mixture she has refined through years of experimentation directly onto the canvas surface.
Cheryl starts by pouring this unique oil paint and medium combination over her substrate, allowing the colors to pool, splash, and stretch. She then rearranges her supports and adds more layers of paint, further altering her surfaces with brushes, rags, her hands or squeegee tools, in a method that is simultaneously revelatory and intuitive.
Happiness 1
Happiness 1
United States
Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Size: 36H x 48 W x 0.75 in
Ships in a cardboard box
$1,620
Happiness 2
Happiness 2
United States
Mixed Media Painting on Canvas
Size: 36 H x 48 W x 0.75 in
Ships in a box
$1,670
Joy Blue Moments
Joy Blue Moments
United States
Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Size: 24 H x 18 W x 1.5 in
Ships in a cardboard box
$810Add to Cart
"In the beginning stage, the process is improvisational; a lot of serendipity occurs combined with planned value changes develop as I work with different colors and brushes. I slowly allow the painting to take shape on its own. The painting process is about finding the finished piece, even though there are moments when it seems almost visible to me."
"In the beginning stage, the process is improvisational; a lot of serendipity occurs combined with planned value changes develop as I work with different colors and brushes. I slowly allow the painting to take shape on its own. The painting process is about finding the finished piece, even though there are moments when it seems almost visible to me."
— Cheryl Johnson
SECRET FORESTS
SECRET FORESTS
Oil Paintings on Canvas
Fall Feelings
Fall Feelings
24"x24" Mixed Media/Oil on substrate of foam board.
Fall Feelings
Fall Feelings
$710
United States
Painting
Size: 24 H x 24 W x 0.8 in
Ships in a cardboard box
Fall Colors Emerging
Fall Colors Emerging
United States
Oil Painting on Canvas
Size: 40 H x 30 W x 1.5 in
Ships in a cardboard box
$1,870Add to Cart
The Heritage of the Mark
"Every movement has its touchpoints, and I find myself returning time and again to the masters: Frankenthaler, Twombly, Bonnard, Watteau, and Polke. But it is Joan Mitchell who remains my primary North Star. While our techniques diverge, I am deeply moved by her mastery of materiality and her ability to define space and place through the sheer physical presence of paint."
"I am drawn to how Mitchell’s massive canvases command a room, yet at their core, they offer a quiet pause—a moment of rest that pulls the viewer inward. That equilibrium between grand scale and intimate stillness is exactly what I strive to capture in my own work." — Cheryl Johnson
The Mitchell Connection
The Mitchell Connection
A Dialogue Across Time
A Dialogue Across Time
Cheryl Johnson’s work is a contemporary resonance of the Abstract Expressionist spirit. Deeply inspired by the gestural energy and chromatic intensity of Joan Mitchell (1925–1992), Cheryl engages in a visual "love affair" with the medium. Much like Mitchell, Cheryl views the canvas as a site of physical and emotional urgency. Her process—a tactile dance of pouring paint and manipulating surface with brushes, rags, hands, and squeegees—mirrors the 20th-century master’s fascination with the raw materiality of oil and mixed media.
This connection is most vibrantly realized in Cheryl’s Suddenly Admiring painting. In pieces like Suddenly Admiring Joan Mitchell N°20181101, she pays direct homage to the second-generation Abstract Expressionist style:
Gestural Vitality: Thick, layered strokes that capture movement and passion.
Vibrant Palette: A sophisticated use of bold color to define space and emotion.
Nature & Abstraction: A shared interest in how the natural world can be distilled into powerful, non-representational forms.
"I don't just look at Mitchell's work; I feel the weight of her marks. My goal is to carry that energy forward—to find that same 'pause' within the chaos of color." — Cheryl Johnson
MIXED MEDIA Drip Series
"Have faith in the mark. Make a flirtatious mark by rubbing and brushing against the surface using your entire body to guide you is daring. Painting can be easily interpreted as mystery, with a simple flick of the wrist, the animal-hair-tipped brush in your hand exposes a universe of relative marks that span thousands of years of emotions."
"Have faith in the mark. Make a flirtatious mark by rubbing and brushing against the surface using your entire body to guide you is daring. Painting can be easily interpreted as mystery, with a simple flick of the wrist, the animal-hair-tipped brush in your hand exposes a universe of relative marks that span thousands of years of emotions."
— Cheryl Johnson
“I’m interested in a painting practice being a, shifting, unnamable thing guided by your emotions and passion to create.
—Cheryl Johnson
SEE NO EVIL
SEE NO EVIL
PROJECT BY CHERYL JOHNSON
See No Evil is a watercolor painting of three faces, see, hear, speak. I have always been fond of the tale of the three wise monkeys. Three wise monkeys. ... The three monkeys are Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil. This inspired me. Perhaps my next piece will be the fourth axiom. Sometimes there is a fourth monkey depicted, Shizaru, who symbolizes the principle of "do no evil".
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