Biography

“My aim is to portray an essence and emotion rather than a well-defined and precise person or location, as I am not interested in set narrative pieces.”

After graduating from Cumbria College of Art and Design, Steve Johnston moved to London where he worked as a commercial photographer on a variety of magazines including i-D and Vogue. He returned to painting full-time in 1991, and now lives and works in Cumbria.

The artist’s desolate and urban landscapes always contain an element of hope- be that a small child, a rainbow or some comedic or insightful graffiti. This is what makes them so compelling and is perhaps the reason they have attracted such a popular following worldwide.

Steve has had his work published in many books and magazines and is represented in many private and public collections, including the permanent collection of the Arts Council England. He has exhibited widely in galleries and museums, notably at Tate Britain, the Haywood Gallery and the V&A in London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Scope Art- Miami Beach, and in various i-D magazine touring exhibitions worldwide.