Johanna Lerwick Bio

Johanna Lerwick Bio

Johanna Lerwick

Johanna Lerwick's enduring passion for animals and nature began as a child while living on her family's farm in upstate New York.  After living in Guam and other states in the U.S., Johanna returned to upstate New York where she currently resides.  She has been captivated by domestic animals and wildlife ever since she could remember, and her interest in animals and nature has inspired her to travel throughout the United States, Africa, the Amazon, Guam, Mexico and Tahiti to photograph animals in their natural surroundings.


When Johanna started painting initially, she painted landscapes and seascapes.  She transitioned to the animal kingdom when she remembered the encouraging words of her mother who suggested that she would enjoy painting wildlife more.  In 1994, she completer her first wildlife painting.


Johanna's painting style is realism, and it was through independent study that she learned techniques for rendering fur, feathers, and other anatomical features of a variety of birds and animals.  To ensure authenticity of her subjects, she studies each animal in their natural habitat and paints them within their specific environment.  The most important aspect of her painting that she wants to convey are:  direction, mood, and a sensory communion with nature.


When you experience Johanna's paintings, in the majority of her artwork, your eyes are directed to the eyes of her animal subjects, whose focus seems to rest beyond the canvas.  You are left to wonder, "What has the animal's attention?"  She establishes mood in her compositions through color and the manipulation of light and shadows.  Johanna paints using a multiple layer technique to build the density of the animal's fur, and very fine brush strokes to create feathers and whiskers.  Her painstakingly detailed renderings gives the viewer the sensation of being able to reach out and touch the fur of the animal, or feel the wetness of its coat as it swims or hunts in a river.


As a full-time artist, Johanna is living her dream career, and her passion for wildlife extends beyond painting.  She donates proceeds from some of her work towards animal conservation and wildlife educational programs. 

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