Krista Lee Johnson
Silver Award-Winning Oil Painter | Member of ARC, OPA, Portrait Society of America and AAPL. Krista Lee Johnson is an accomplished realist painter whose work is known for its emotional depth, luminous color, and masterful technique. Trained under Richard Lack, at the renowned Atelier Lack in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Krista has spent a lifetime immersed in the visual arts. From an early age, she was surrounded by paint, brushes, and inspiration — whether at home, in local studios, or wandering the halls of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Her path as an artist took her from the classical traditions of Florence, Italy to Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, where she earned dual degrees in Studio Art and Italian Language. After opening her first studio in St. Paul in 1990, she went on to design and build a custom north-lit studio in 2003, where she continues to paint today.
Krista’s work has been shown across the U.S. and internationally, including at the MEAM Museum in Barcelona and Sotheby’s in New York. She has been honored with awards from the Art Renewal Center (ARC), Oil Painters of America (OPA), and the Portrait Society of America and the American Artists Professional League (AAPL.) Her painting The Boys was selected for the prestigious International ARC Salon Exhibition in 2019.Her artistic journey has also led her to create large-scale commissioned works for churches, hospitals, and private collections — including several biblical paintings and life-size portraits. Between 2000 and 2015, she specialized in children’s portraiture, drawn to the raw honesty and openness children bring to the process. “They come before me so openly,” she says, “with no pretense or expectaions.”
Travel continues to be a vital source of inspiration. Whether sketching in the villages of Morocco, studying light in southern France, or walking the coastlines of the Baltic, Krista captures fleeting moments of wonder with a reverence that is felt in every brushstroke.
Her work is not just seen, but experienced — offering viewers a sense of presence, reflection, and beauty. To own a Krista Lee Johnson painting is to be invited into a story — one rooted in deep observation, technical mastery, and the quiet magic of human connection.
Education
2023 5 day workshop with Jill Soudkup, Zapata Ranch, Colorado
2021 10 day workshop with Rose Franzen, Provence, France
2017 Alla Prima workshop with Suzanne Beck, Hopkins, MN
2008 Portrait workshop with Daniel Greene, Westchester County, NY
1986-1990 Studied with Richard Lack at Atelier Lack, Minneapolis, MN
1984 Study of the old masters, Florence, Italy
1981-1985 Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA.
Majors in studio art and Italian
Recent Awards
2026 Art Renewal Center, Finalist in ARC Salon
2023 American Artists Professional League, Honorary Award for Outstanding Oil
2022 Portrait Society of America, third place Non Commissioned Figure
2022 Minnesota State Fair
Honorable Mention, oil, acrylic, mixed media Minnesota State Fair Foundation
Paul S. Kramer Award
Ron Merchant Award for Oil Painting
2021 Silver metal, Oil Painters of America, eastern regional exhibit
2019 Art Renewal Center finalist
2019 Staff Choice Award Art Renewal Center
2019 Art Renewal Center Salon at MEAM Museum, Barcelona, Spain
and at Sotheby’s in New York City
2018 Finalist Portrait Society of America
Exhibitions
2023 American Artists Professional League, Salmagundi Club, NYC
2023 Oil Painters of America National Exhibit, Charleston, SC
2022 Minnesota State Fair, Fine Art Show
2021 Solo show, Zeller Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
2021 Oil Painters of America, Eastern Regional Show, FL
2021 Lifting the Sky, American Women Artists , online
2021 Minnesota State Fair Fine Art Show
2020 Her Story, Manhattan Arts, NYC, online
2020 Connecticut Women Artists Juried Show, online
2020 14th International ARC Salon Exhibition, Sotheby’s,NY
2019 Group Show, ARC Salon, MEAM, Barcelona, Spain
2019 Group Show, OPNVU Gallery, Minneapolis, Mn
2018 Group Show, Studio Pintura, Minneapolis, MN
2017 Group Show, Minnesota Portrait Network
2016 Solo Show, Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, MN
2015 Group Show, Self-Portraits, at Tractorworks, Minneapolis, MN
2014 Group show at Tractorworks, Minneapolis, MN
2008 Solo show, Plymouth Creek Center, Plymouth, MN
2008 Primavera Show,winner of the people’s choice ,award
Plymouth Fine Arts Council, Plymouth, MN
2000 WARM Juried show, Catherine G. Murphy Gallery, St. Paul, MN
Public Art
2015 Portrait of Rev. Dr. John Ross, Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, MN
2014 Two biblical paintings, Cast No Stone and Jairus' Daughter 5’x7’, Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, MN
2010-2012 Four paintings for Children’s Hospitals and Clinic, Minneapolis, MN
2006 Portrait of Dr. Harold King, Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, MN
2005 Portrait of Rev. Robert Baggott, Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, MN
2002 Wall mural, Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, MN
1998 ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ 8'x12' Living Word Christian Center, Brooklyn Park, MN
