February - March 2004

Steppin’ Out cover artist...

     Michael Chesley Johnson lived 20 years in Vermont before heading to New Mexico. He has studied with Ann Templeton, Bob Rohm and Albert Handell, among others. During a brief return to Vermont, he enjoyed a residency at the Vermont Studio Center. 

     Michael is a member of the Pastel Society of America, the National Academy of Plein Air Painters, the Vermont Pastel Society, the Pastel Society of New Mexico, the Otero Arts Council and the Alamogordo Artists Alliance. He has exhibited his work in both New Mexico and Vermont. He teaches a one-onone, intensive “Pastel Immersion” workshop out of his home in the southern Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. In 2004, Michael will be teaching workshops in New Mexico, Massachusetts, Michigan and Maine. For more on his workshops, see his web site: www.MichaelChesleyJohnson.com. 

     Besides being a fulltime artist, Michael is also a writer. He is a Contributing Editor for The Pastel Journal. Recently, American Artist published his interview with painter Bob Rohm. Michael is also co-authoring an art instruction book with a nationally-known artist. 

     “Several years ago,” Michael says, “my wife and I decided to quit our jobs so we could pursue a few dreams. For me, one of these dreams was writing full-time. I didn’t expect to become a pastel artist. Although I had worked in both oil and acrylic, I thought I would concentrate on being a writer. “John Fowles, the novelist, once said that he gave up his day job not so he could become a writer, but so he could simply be. Part of simply being, it seems, is opening yourself to futures that you had no idea existed. And that is what happened to me. 

     “I am a landscape artist. The land speaks to me in ways that no human subject can. To me, the land is a living creature -- it breathes light, it eats shadow, its every movement is color. Through my art, I seek the life that is in the hills, rocks and plains. I aim to bring that life to my pastels.” 

     Michael is represented in New Mexico by McMahon Fine Art in Ruidoso and Benson Fine Art in San Patricio. In Colorado, he is represented by the Ago Gallery in Ouray. Steppin’ Out cover artist... Pastel artist Michael Chesley Johnson seeks the life in hills, rocks and plains

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