Perry Johnson is a figurative realist painter with a focus on material and process. His lineage traces back to other makers, mostly of mischief, but also of traditional hand crafts of his native Appalachia. Born in Southwest Virginia, he soon shamed his family by taking an interest in painting over music. While painting remains a first language, the poor soul, cursed blessed with curiosity, also took to printmaking, programming, and many a devil’s dalliance.
Johnson studied at Virginia Intermont College, earning a BFA in Printmaking. His MFA is from East Tennessee State University. Beginning in graduate school, Perry worked as a programmer, first for the web and then moved to application and database development. He has been teaching since 1999, starting as adjunct faculty at Southwest Virginia Community College where he had enrolled while also in the 8th grade. His first tenure-track post was for another alma mater, Virginia Intermont College, where he taught until the school closed. Again breaking from his chaotic kith and kin, Perry and his wife Nicole reside in the manner of upstanding citizenry. Perry is now Associate Professor of Painting and related courses at Tennessee Tech University.
