Neil Johnston

Neil Johnston keeps his studio at his home in Shoreview, MN, where he paints and makes music. In the studio, Neil is immersed in the process of painting and music making – the resulting fusion is a constant source of inspiration, process, and investigation. Neil’s current work uses found patterns, layering, and abstraction, exploring the themes of place, memory, and time.
“…really, I try to use painting to explore. All my various bodies of work have been attempts to show the questions that I have about the world, presenting possibilities, and making interesting connections. In the end, I hope my paintings connect with others, helping to foster an inquisitive attitude toward our lives, and each other in the world” Neil often uses layering, fragmentation, and multiplicity to investigate time, and connecting memory to place. In addition to painting, and the visual arts, Neil is a performing musical artist. “My music and visual creative processes are very much the same for me and are intertwined – whether performance on the canvas, or on the stage they are still very personal and intimate forms of communication.”
Johnston’s work spans 35 years, and includes mural and painting commissions, and work in corporate collections. Neil teaches in the Fine and Performing Arts department at Century College in White Bear Lake, MN. There he focuses on Painting, Drawing, and 2D Design. He also works with the White Bear Center for the Arts, facilitating the popular Studio Coffee art discussion. You can see Neil’s work at the AZ Gallery in Saint Paul, MN, and hear him perform music in bands 13 Howell, and The Tim Malloys.