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Portrait of Wendy
Portrait of Wendy
Portrait of Wendy
Photograph and Ditital Image © Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Not for reproduction or publication.
On View
On view
Object number2017.43

Portrait of Wendy

Artist (American, 1927 - 2017)
Date1974
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionsimage: 38 × 44 in. (96.5 × 111.8 cm)
frame: 40 × 46 × 1 1/2 in. (101.6 × 116.8 × 3.8 cm)
Credit LineHelen Sheridan Memorial Fund
Exhibition History"The Way Forward: New Acquisitions at the KIA," July 28 - December 2, 2018. "Legendary Voices: Art for the Next Century," KIA (September 7 - February 18, 2025)Label TextThis painting pre-dates Johnson’s usual streetscapes and architecturally-detailed representations for which she is known. The portrait is both a sensitive and powerful depiction of the artist’s daughter. Though figurative, the loose brushstrokes in the background and lower-body demonstrate a level of abstraction if not in concept, then in execution. Johnson was an accomplished local artist. She worked briefly as a freelance fashion illustrator after college. In Kalamazoo she attended classes and workshops at the Kirk Newman Art School (KNAS). Her art was represented in many one-person, group and area shows in Southwest Michigan. She taught art for five years at Portage Community Schools and served one year at the Arts Council of Kalamazoo, 3 years on the Board of Directors, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and was a Kirk Newman Art School faculty member.