Christine Johnson, artist
Christine Johnson
EDUCATION AND FELLOWSHIP STUDIES
1977 - 79 Diploma of Fine Art
Monash University
1980 Graduate Diploma of Fine Art
RMIT
1981 Diploma of Education
Melbourne State College
2009 Certificate of Small Business
NMIT
2013-14 Creative Fellowship, State Library of Victoria
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Since completing her studies in Fine Art, Christine Johnson has had numerous solo exhibitions throughout Australia.
Significant works can be seen in Melbourne at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Park Hyatt Hotel and Crown Promenade Hotel and are in the public collections of the National Library of Australia, State Library of Victoria, Monash University, University of Queensland, Artbank and Victorian regional art galleries in Mildura, Benalla and Hamilton, Victoria.
Christine is represented by Fox Galleries, Melbourne.
www.foxgalleries.com.au/christine-johnson/
FIVE SOLDIERS
In 2019 Christine Johnson was commissioned by the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University to produce a suite of works to commemorate the lives of five of its former students who were killed in World War I.
Five Soldiers will be on display as part of the exhibition Return; The Way Back Home at the Matheson Library, Monash University until May 2020. In 2019 Johnson was also commissioned by the Faculty of Pharmacy to create a painting of Eucalyptus kruseana as a gift to honour the distinguished service of the Faculty’s retiring Dean, Professor William N. Charman -- the Sir John Monash, Distinguished Professor, Dean Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University.
VOYAGES BOTANICAL
In 2012 Christine was awarded a Creative Fellow at the State Library of Victoria and undertook research on early Australian botanical art. The result of this extensive research was the touring exhibition, Voyages Botanical. It includes 30 solar-plate engravings and related drawings and paintings. The exhibition was launched in December 2014 at the Alliance Française, Melbourne and concluded at Albury Regional Gallery in January 2019.
Tour venues for Voyages Botanical
Alliance Française, Melbourne
Mildura Arts Centre, Victoria
Montsalvat, Eltham, Victoria
Bribie Island Museum, Queensland
Noosa Regional Gallery, Queensland
Blue Mountains Cultural Centre, New South Wales
Wangaratta Art Gallery, Victoria
Latrobe Regional Gallery, Victoria
Dogwood Crossing, Miles, Queensland
Albury Regional Gallery, Victoria
During the course of the tour Christine taught Cyanotype workshops at Bribie Island, Wangaratta, Mildura Arts Centre and at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne and gave lectures about the project at The Alexandra Club, Wangaratta Art Gallery, Bribie Island Museum and Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
While Voyages Botanical was at the Mildura Arts Centre in 2015 Christine was also artist in residence at The Art Vault. She discovered the fascinating story and collection of the virtually unknown botanist, Eileen Ramsay, the subject of her next exhibition in 2020.
In 2017 she presented a paper on Eileen Ramsay at Melbourne University to the School of Culture and Communications at the conference, Art and Affect and at Mueller Hall - National Herbarium of Victoria.
EXHIBITION HISTORY; SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2018 Firmament, Fox Galleries, Collingwood, Melbourne
2017 Inland, The Art Vault, Mildura, Victoria
2014 -19 Voyages Botanical Touring Exhibition
2017 Florae, Fox Galleries, Collingwood, Melbourne
2016 Inland, Port Jackson Press
2011 Indigene, Scott Livesey Galleries, Melbourne
The Botany of Beauty, Greenhill Galleries, Perth
2010 Halation, BMG, Adelaide
Afterglow, Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney
2009 Hothouse, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
2008 Arabesque, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney
2006 Other Echoes, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney
2005 Sub Rosa, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
2004 Spira Mirabilis, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney
Dark Wood to White Rose, a survey exhibition, Benalla Art Gallery and Hamilton Art Gallery, Victoria
2003 New Paintings, Eastgate and Holst, Dealers in Fine Art
By autumn… the rose-garden, Legge Gallery, Sydney
2001 Paintings, Eastgate Gallery, Melbourne
2000 Spiritus, paintings and drawings’, Legge Gallery, Sydney
1998 Paintings, Legge Gallery, Sydney
1997 Paintings, Eastgate Gallery, Melbourne
1996 A garden for the heart, Garden’s House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne
1995 Rosegarden and Labyrinth, Legge Gallery, Sydney
1993 Night Garden, Melbourne Contemporary Art Gallery, Melbourne
Paintings, Legge Gallery, Sydney
1992 Paintings, Melbourne Contemporary Art Gallery, Melbourne
1991 A Still Place, Legge Gallery, Sydney
1990 Ornamental Gardens, Legge Gallery, Sydney
1989 Ornamental Gardens, Melbourne Contemporary Art Gallery
RECENT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019-2020 Return; The Way Back Home, Matheson Library, Monash University,
2019 Baldessin Studio – The Story, Montsalvat, Victoria.
Group exhibition, Fox Galleries, Collingwood
Layers of Settlement, The Art Vault, Mildura, Victoria
2015 Arkley (and friends…) Tarrawarra Museum of Art, Victoria
2014 Mirror of the World, State Library of Victoria
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
State Library of Victoria
National Library of Australia
Monash University, Clayton, Victoria
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Parkville
University of Queensland
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne
Artbank
Mildura Arts Centre, Victoria
Benalla Art Gallery, Victoria
Hamilton Art Gallery. Victoria
Park Hyatt Hotel, Melbourne
Crown Promenade Hotel, Melbourne
Other Projects
Christine’s early work history includes five years as an art director on independent films and music videos. She taught Visual Arts at Prahran and Dandenong TAFE colleges. During this time she was the co-ordinator of TAFE Drawing Conferences and started an art gallery for students at Dandenong TAFE.
In 1987 Christine collaborated with Howard Arkley on Suburban Landscape and this painting was included in the retrospective of Arkley’s work, Arkley (and friends…) at Tarrawarra Museum of Art in 2015. https://www.twma.com.au/exhibition/howard-arkley-and-friends/
Curatorship
In 1988 Christine was the curator and co-ordinator of Artists Make Books, an Australia Council funded touring exhibition. She designed the installation of the exhibition and obtained sponsorship and publicity for the exhibition. She published the catalogue and arranged the exhibition’s tour to interstate venues.
2014-2019 Christine worked with curators from regional galleries to create the tour of Voyages Botanical.
In 2019 Christine was the curator of Baldessin Studio – The Story at Montsalvat, Victoria, an exhibition about the development of the Baldessin print-making studio in St Andrews, Victoria.
Printmaking
Five Soldiers, A box set of 10 solar-plate engravings, commissioned by Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, 2019
Voyages Botanical, A box set of 30 solar-plate engravings, printed at Baldessin press, St Andrews, Victoria, 2014 and supported by the State Library of Victoria
Two editions of multi-plate etchings commissioned by Port Jackson Press
Tapestry
The Victorian Tapestry Workshop commissioned several tapestries including a large tapestry based on Christine’s painting Mutabilis which toured internationally and featured in The Art of Collaboration (VTW 2008)
Painting Commissions
Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University
The Park Hyatt Hotel: Four paintings for the main foyer
Crown Promenade Hotel: Paintings for the lobby
Private commissions including Japan and USA
Books
In 2019 Christine collaborated with writer Michael Shmith on the monograph, Five Soldiers, a guide to the history of each of five young men who tragically lost their lives in World War One. The production of the book was supported by the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, published by Fox Galleries, and printed by Ellikon Fine Printers.
Voyages Botanical, 2014, 56pp illustrated book to accompany the exhibition published by the artist.
Radio and Film
In 2019 Christine participated in the production of a documentary film about the development of her work for the Five Soldiers project.
In 2015 film-maker Marianne Latham made a documentary about Christine’s work titled Voyages Botanical
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfOxm7E9tXw
In 2011 Christine created a concept for radio, based around her artistic process and the history of Australian botanical art. The programme, Tiny Blooms, includes interviews, diaries, poetry and music. It was produced for ABC RN Hindsight by Gretchen Miller and broadcast in March 2012.
References
Australian Painting Now (Craftsman House ISBN 90 5703 252 X)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2015 'Wrap Up', Port Jackson Press, Melbourne
2008 ‘Melbourne Art Fair’, Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
‘Autumn Catalogue Exhibition’, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney
2007 ‘Summer Stock Show’, Australian Galleries Painting and Sculpture,
Melbourne
‘Art Sydney’, Royal Hall Industries, Sydney
‘Autumn Salon’, Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney
‘The Sunshine Coast Art Award (finalist)’, Caloundra Regional Art
Gallery, Queensland
‘Small Pleasures’, Australian Galleries Painting & Sculpture, Melbourne
2006 ‘Stock Show’, Australian Galleries Painting & Sculpture, Melbourne
‘New Year Group exhibition’, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
‘A rose is a rose…’, Latrobe Regional Gallery, Victoria
‘Melbourne Art Fair’, Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
‘Sacre Coeur Alumnae Art Show’, Sacre Coeur, Melbourne
‘One Square Foot’, Melbourne Art Rooms, Melbourne
‘50th Anniversary Exhibition’, 5th June, Australian Galleries, Melbourne
2005 ‘Thirty’, Port Jackson Press Gallery, Melbourne
‘The Art of Collaboration, Masterpieces of Modern Tapestry’ from the Victorian
Tapestry Workshop, Singapore Tyler Institute Gallery, Singapore
‘Artists for Kids Culture Annual Art Exhibition and Auction’, Prahran Town Hall,
Melbourne
‘The Big Small Tapestry Show’, Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne
‘New Acquisitions’, Benalla Art Gallery, Victoria
‘Brisbane Art Fair’, Martin Browne Fine Art, Brisbane
‘MLC Acquisitive Exhibition’, MLC, Melbourne
‘A rose is a rose is a rose’, Latrobe Regional Gallery, Victoria
‘Wild Garden’, Martin Browne Fine Art at The Yellow House, Sydney
‘Notes from the Natural World’, Australian Galleries Works on Paper, Melbourne
2004 ‘Summer Exhibition’, Martin Browne Fine Art at The Yellow House, Sydney
‘Collectors Exhibition’, Port Jackson Press Print Room, Melbourne
‘The Year in Art’ S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
‘The Blake Prize For Religious Art’, Hermann Black Gallery, Sydney University,
Sydney
‘The Melbourne Art Fair’, Martin Browne Fine Art, Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
‘Artists for Kid’s Culture Trust’, Melbourne
‘Print Room Opening’, Port Jackson Press, Melbourne
2003 ‘The Year in Art’, S.H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney
‘Artists for the Tarkine’, Bright Gallery, Melbourne
‘Artists for Kid’s Culture Trust’, Melbourne
‘Opening exhibition’ Martin Browne Fine Art, Sydney
2002 ‘City, Land, Sea’, University and Schools Club, Sydney
2000 ‘We are Australian’, touring exhibition
‘Australian Contemporary Art Fair’, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
1999 ‘Redlands Exhibition’, Sydney
‘Evolution’, Legge Gallery, Sydney
1998 ‘Australian Contemporary Art Fair’, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
1997 ‘Mulch and Metaphors; The Garden in Contemporary Art’, Mornington Peninsula
Regional Gallery, Mornington
‘Being there’, Legge Gallery, Sydney
‘A collector’s exhibition’, Eastgate Gallery, Melbourne
1995 ‘Group show’, Legge Gallery, Sydney
1992 ‘The 9th R.M. Ansett Art Award’, Hamilton Art Gallery, Hamilton, Victoria
‘Homage to Spain’, Melbourne Contemporary Art Gallery, Melbourne
‘Public Sphere Personal Vision Public Space’, Linden Gallery, St Kilda, Melbourne
1991 ‘Group exhibition’, Legge Gallery, Sydney
‘The Green show’, curator Robin Williams, Irving Galleries, Sydney
Conrad Jupiters Art Prize for Painting, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Queensland
Charleston Square Art Prize, Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, New South Wales
‘An installation publication – Potlotch’, 200 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Melbourne
1990 ‘Melbourne Art Fair’, Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne
‘Group exhibition, Gallery artists’, Melbourne Contemporary Art Gallery, Melbourne
‘Artists against animal experimentation’, Deutscher Brunswick Street Gallery,
Melbourne
‘Monash University Collection – A selection’, Monash University Gallery, Melbourne
‘Works on paper’, Legge Gallery, Sydney
1989 ‘Opening exhibition, Gallery artists’, Melbourne Contemporary Art Gallery,
Melbourne
‘Heidelberg Heritage 9" x 5" Exhibition’, Linden Gallery, St Kilda
‘Artworkz one Exhibition’, South Melbourne Town Hall
‘Caulfield Ten Years After’, Chisholm Institute of Technology, Melbourne
‘Exhibition No.31, Store 5’, curator Gary Wilson, Prahran, Melbourne
1988 ‘St Kilda Arts Festival Exhibition’, Linden Gallery, St Kilda, Melbourne
1987 ‘Box Hill Invitation Drawing Prize’, City of Box Hill, Melbourne
‘Ormond College Welcomes New Art’, curator Tony Clark, Ormond College,
Melbourne University
1986 ‘Diamond Valley Invitation Exhibition’
1980 ‘Drawings by four artists’, Hawthorn City Art Gallery, Melbourne
1979 ‘Group exhibition’, Hawthorn City Art Gallery, Melbourne
AWARDS, GRANTS AND COMMISSIONS
2005 Two etchings, Elina and Australian Sunrise,published by Port Jackson Press, Melbourne
2004 Tapestry design for the Victorian Tapestry Workshop, Melbourne (in production)
Two colour etchings, Memento and Winter Rose published by Port Jackson Press, Melbourne
2003 Paintings for the Function Foyer of the Crown Promenade Hotel, Southbank,
Melbourne
2000 Commission for Karalyka Centre, City of Maroondah, Victoria
1999 Commission for foyer of the Park Hyatt Hotel, Melbourne
1997 Ernest Horton Memorial Grant
1992 The 9th R.M. Ansett Art Award, Hamilton Art Gallery, Victoria
1991 Curator-Artists Make Books:
An exhibition of artists’ books hosted by Linden Gallery, St Kilda and sponsored by the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council. The exhibition toured the following regional and interstate venues: Chameleon Gallery, Tasmania, Latrobe Valley Arts centre, Victoria and Contemporary Arts Space, Canberra
1990 Project grant, Visual Arts Board, Australia Council
1988 St Kilda Arts Festival Acquisition Prize