Collection: Miles Johnston

Miles Johnston draws and paints figures in a way that puts the viewer immediately in mind of the psyche. It is almost impossible to look at his subjects and not consider what must be going on for them internally, an effect elicited by the emotive poses of Johnston’s figures, in combination with his use of distortion, repetition, division and illusion.

For Johnston, evoking an emotional reaction is key; the relationship between a piece and a viewer is what makes a piece of art complete. In his view, a piece can be technically sound and meticulously rendered, but what brings it to life is how it affects those who see it.

Johnston has gained a massive online following for his highly detailed drawings and paintings in the past few years, with over half a million followers on Instagram alone. It is no surprise that he has found a receptive audience: his approach to creating art involves asking questions such as, what is worth paying attention to? What does he want to see, and what does he want to say? His work, which has been described as dreamy, mesmerising, surreal, visceral, psychedelic and mind-bending, calls to mind questions of what we carry internally and how we see ourselves and others, questions which immediately grab the viewer and make the pieces both satisfying and perplexing at the same time.

Johnston’s visual manipulations of reality perhaps reflect his own sense that there is no objective ‘normal.’ Born in 1993 in the United Kingdom, Johnston moved with his family to Brunei, Borneo, for a few years, an experience he considers to have influenced him because the move presented a profound change in environments. His family eventually returned to England, and from there he went on to study at the Swedish Academy of Realist Art, where he now teaches on a part-time basis.

Like many artists, Johnston began drawing at an early age. He grew up in a creative household and also played video games, and characters from these games were early fodder for practicing art: he learned to copy their likenesses and was gratified to observe his own improvement. It was at this time he learned the term ‘concept artist’ and came to understand that one could pursue art as a career. By 17 he was already a professional artist, and he is poised to share so much more with the world.

M. C. Escher, Ernst Fuchs, Takato Yamamoto, Alphonse Mucha, Zdzisław Beksiński, Gustav Klimt and James Jean are among Johnston’s artistic influences.

Photo of Miles Johnston painting in his studio.

Johnston has participated in several group shows in Australia and the United States. He had his first solo show in 2018 at Last Rites Gallery in New York. Johnston has participated in a number of group exhibitions at Beinart Gallery and will be having a mini-solo exhibition of works on paper at the gallery in late 2020.

Please contact us if you would like to buy an original drawing or painting by Miles Johnston or to be notified when we have new available art for sale.