By: Tyler Morgenstern, RCA Marketing and Communication Coordinator
To look at them, one would never guess that the striking, large-scale canvases that comprise Cecilia Johnston’s recent RCA exhibition, Water as Life, were born of an intense period of personal turmoil that left the artist unable to paint. Executed in a lavish, impressionistic style, Johnstone’s paintings feature sweeping Okanagan and coastal landscapes and shimmering cityscapes. Intensely saturated and daring in their use of light, shadow, and reflection, the works in Water is Life seem self-assured and ambitious, yet at the same time delicate, never brash.
It is a balance that speaks volumes about Johnstone’s eclectic influences. “I love the impressionists,” Johnstone says, “especially Sorolla and Van Gogh. I’m also inspired by the movement and energy found in many of the great abstract expressionists.” So much is clear in works like Amalfi Coast 2 and Spanish Banks 4, whose turbulent skies and swirling cliff faces are as much Van Gogh as they are Pollock—sensual and kinetic all at once.
Spanish Banks 4 by Cecilia Johnstone as installed in the Alex Fong Galleria at the RCA
Amalfi Coast 2 by Cecilia Johnstone as installed in the Alex Fong Galleria at the RCA
But there are other influences at work here: “I am a painter, but during the time in my life that I was unable to paint, I would find other substitutes like writing or the piano. I took a comic book class that had an enormous impact on the way I paint today. Exploring pen and ink, I discovered the importance of the mark-making itself; not related to the color or shape or composition, but just the path of the line. The distinctiveness of my line is what shapes my work.”
These lessons bubble to the surface in pieces like Tokyo 1. Here, a vibrant colour palette and planar composition evokes the intensity of the comic book page, even as its elegant use of light, reflection, and depth lends a bit of warmth and romance.
Tokyo 1 by Cecilia Johnstone, as installed in the Alex Fong Galleria at RCA
Installed in the RCA’s Alex Fong Galleria from November 2021 through February 2022, Johnstone’s canvases have helped our patrons see their surroundings in an entirely new light, capturing the splendor of the Okanagan Valley and locales beyond with a truly singular vision. “I am primarily a landscape artist, and the Okanagan is an incredibly beautiful place. I would love to spend some more time painting the Naramata Bench, in particular,” says Johnstone.
Reflecting on the experience of exhibiting Water as Life, she notes, “It was great to be able to exhibit my work at the RCA. It is so important to have affordable studio space and places for artists to work and build community.” With this show now behind her, Johnstone is already looking toward new creative horizons. “Currently, I’m in the experimental stage of something new: large-scale pen and ink ‘paintings.’ Recently I have also been thinking about going home to paint the snowy plains of my childhood in Alberta.”
We here at the RCA can’t wait to see what Johnstone creates next, and look forward to the next time we can have her stunning work in our galleries. If you’d like to learn more about Cecilia’s practice, be sure to visit her website at ceciliajohnstone.com. And to stay up to date with what’s on in our galleries, including opportunities to exhibit, visit https://rotarycentreforthearts.com/events/in-the-galleries/
