The city of Portland, George Johanson's longtime home, occupies a central place in his work: "Practically everything I've done with landscape has been the city of Portland. […] I feel like I'm doing a portrait over and over again of the city," he once said.
Born in Seattle, painter, printmaker, and ceramic tile artist George Johanson (1928-2022) moved to Portland in 1946 to study at the Museum Art School (now the Pacific Northwest College of Art), where he later taught for twenty-five years before retiring in 1980. Known for his kindness and generosity toward students and fellow artists, Johanson remained active in Portland's art community throughout a career spanning more than seven decades. He exhibited widely, and his work is held in major collections including the Smithsonian National Collection, the Portland Art Museum, and the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. He received the Oregon Governor's Arts Award in 1992. The Karin Clarke Gallery has previously presented large exhibitions of his prints; this is the gallery's first exhibition since his passing.