Shelly Johnson

Shelly Johnson is a watercolor artist living in Boise, Idaho. She grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California and studied at UCLA and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She earned her BFA from Art Center in Advertising Illustration.

She has worked as an illustrator for books and magazines, as a muralist, and as a computer artist doing 3D modeling and animation for video games, but she has always maintained the intention to eventually be a full time painter. She is a member of the Idaho Watercolor Society since 2010, and is a regular participant in their annual Idaho Capitol Building and membership juried shows. She is currently an IWS Signature Member after being accepted into several juried shows, where she won several awards and the opportunity to participate in their annual traveling show. She has sold her work through the traveling and Capitol shows. She has completed multiple watercolor paintings on commission, primarily paintings of children, since 2009.

In 2010, Shelly moved to Boise, Idaho, to live a slower, quieter life in an inspiring landscape. Her favorite painting subject is children, but she found a second love painting Idaho landscapes and wildlife. She works from provided reference from clients, and from her own photographs taken from around the state. With her paintings of children, she has the opportunity to experience the innocence and joy of childhood and to preserve a moment in time for her clients.

With her landscapes, she attempts to preserve the natural beauty of the landscape she experienced in person. She enjoys playing with color, light, and pattern, and believes the luminosity of her watercolor technique especially lends itself to showing off Idaho’s unique light. She believes a painting should draw the viewer in from a distance, and that there should be a reward in the details for drawing closer.

Shelly currently resides in Boise, Idaho, with a studio in her home. Her work and information regarding commissions is available for viewing on her website, shellyjohnsonstudio.com.