A native of the Pacific Northwest; Rob Painter (really) Johnson was born in Lewiston, Idaho.   Raised in an unconventional environment for the time by a single self-employed mother, Rob spent his early years more often with his maternal grandparents than anyone.  While his artistic mother exposed him to art, his equally talented maternal grandmother exposed him to craft. In a personal illustration of this time Rob recounts, “I was born to an art family in Lewiston in the mid 1960s.  As far back as I can remember art was a part of my life.  My mother was an artist and I think I inherited her interests and abilities.  Also, my grandmother was a carpenter – she had done all the finish work on a house that she and my grandfather built.  I remember helping out as a small child.”  At age nine Rob learned that he had a half sister and brother opening an entirely new family to him.  All of this impacted his ability for self-reliance, while cultivating an active imagination.

As a child Rob was fortunate to spend time in the Northern Idaho and Southeast Washington mountains with his grandfather, and then vacationed on the Oregon Coast with his mother and her cousins.   Early on he was also able to spend time in the cities of Seattle and Spokane, Washington and in Portland, Oregon – were he now resides.   The natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, coupled with the splendor and secrets of its major cities, are inspiring and that is how Rob experienced this time in his life.

Always artistic and perpetually drawing, Rob continually scored at the top of his art classes while in elementary and high school.  In his late teens and early twenties he won awards in juried competitions, no doubt more for the content of his artworks than the technique.  The structured, rigid, cubistic work of his teens and early twenties evolved into impressionistic landscapes and portraits of his late twenties and thirties.

At age thirty-two he purchased his first home, a decrepit and nearly destroyed mid-century modern, which he spent the next three years resurrecting.  This led to another house – a 1912 prairie style nearly double the size and equally in need.  Painting took a back seat to craft work and researching the historical periods for which these houses were constructed.  Through this labor of love, both houses were rebuilt entirely in their respective time periods.  These construction projects led Rob to acquire a great many tools, and when he could not find kitchen cabinets suited to a 1912 house, Rob bought a book and figured out how to make his own – making the kitchen in this house truly remarkable.  This led to the exploration of furniture construction and Rob made several pieces as gifts and commissions.

Family and friends have called Rob a “renaissance man”.  He has restored old cars and homes.  He has a degree in History and one in business.  His master’s work was done on American social movements.  For nearly a decade he was the Executive Director of a homeless shelter in Idaho, and all of his adult life he has spent time working on various social causes.  He started, owned and operated a retail flower business in Clarkston, Washington.  Rob’s artwork has been featured in shows in Portland, Oregon.  To summarize his work today, Rob laments, “When I started painting I was always interested in the impressionists, but especially Cubism because of its departure from reality.  Lately, I’ve been developing my own style that is an intentional departure from reality.  I paint what I feel, and in so doing I think I’ve created an opportunity for those who like my work to experience their own passions.  I like to think that my work is, or at least can be, what anyone needs it to be . . . “