By Karin Olafson
“Art was my way to escape reality. It was about my healing,” says Johnson. She returned to Canada in 1996 and reunited with her living siblings, some of whom had also been in foster care and some of whom were sent to residential schools.
It was only when people began seeing Johnson’s work in public and asking for commissions that she realized art could be more than a hobby.
“I discovered I actually had a talent,” laughs Johnson. “And I’ve learned to believe in myself through my art.”
Johnson works in a variety of artistic mediums, including acrylics, oils, hand-painted drums and leatherwork. In 2019, the John Howard Society hired her to create a mural; her artwork has also appeared at an exhibit at Southcentre Mall in 2022 and at the Women’s Centre of Calgary, where she was the muralist in residence in 2021. Regardless of the medium, Johnson’s work reflects her background and identity through her use of bright colours, animals and warrior women.
“I like to talk with people about their stories and then paint their story,” explains Johnson. “One of my favourite parts of my paintings is the warrior woman. I always like to paint women — we are strong, we share our emotions and those emotions are part of us, and part of our healing.”
In 2025, Johnson applied to participate in Calgary Arts Development’s Utility Box Public Art Program. She was one of 14 local artists selected to participate in bringing art into neighbourhoods. Johnson says the experience was a good one that also had a positive impact on her career.
Before getting to work on painting the utility box in the community of Erin Woods, Johnson consulted with an Elder.
“We talked about the medicine wheel, so I painted the wheel’s four directions … and I blended colours all together. The reason is that when you think of your heart and the blood flowing, it always flows left to right; the painting flows left to right,” says Johnson. “When I paint, it’s always about spirituality and your connection to nature, whether that’s the mountains or water.”
Johnson added a turtle to represent Turtle Island and movement through water, eagle feathers to represent movement through air and a warrior woman to represent Mother Earth and feminine strength.
“I always put the warrior markings on, because that’s who we are. We overcome all sorts of challenges,” she says.
Like all of Johnson’s work, her artwork on the Erin Woods utility box was painted in bright and vibrant colours. And it elicited a lot of attention and interest.
“A lot of people came by while I was working on this. People stopped and wanted to chat about the painting. They wanted selfies and people were honking. I was really happy, because I didn’t think the outcome would be so positive,” says Johnson.
She adds that this project provided an opportunity to showcase her work to Calgarians who might not have seen it before. It was also a new learning experience. For Johnson, being part of the Utility Box Public Art Program helped her feel supported and has moved her artistic dreams forward.