ＭＥＥＴ ＴＨＥ ＡＲＴＩＳＴ.
Welcome to my website! My name is Ricki Lenea Johnson. I’m an 18-year- old self-taught artist, who specializes in acrylic and oil portrait paintings! I currently live in San Antonio, Texas and am a college student. Outside of school, creating has always been a constant in every facet of my life, especially growing up in a small city that often made me feel isolated. Ever since I was 7, I remember diving myself into creative realms. I made shortbooks with illustrations, drew over outlines in coloring books, and got in trouble for drawing on my homework (a lot).
While my family’s artistic abilities always have influenced me, my interest peaked when I took my first art class in high school. Before, painting frustrated me, but I quickly fell in love with layering colors. (I discovered multiple other mediums too, which I soon hope to incorporate into my work!) Several of my art pieces were displayed in my local museum, and a few placed 1st in local competitions! The more praise I received, the more time I invested in my craft outside of school. And the more I wanted to become an artist. It was then when I began to draw cheap portraits of my classmates.
My focal point in my work is portraiture because I’m infatuated with inventing different expressions and stories. Although I never aim for perfect likeness, I like to engineer faces in a way that’s more than pure representation. It’s about a dynamic feeling of virtue, beauty, and power. My style often fluctuates due to my headspace. My creative approach is curated by extracting emotions from my life experiences, social issues, and culture.
shot by: @nycolexcx (IG)
My mom and sister, being my biggest supporters and inspirations, have encouraged me to finally take this step in sharing to others what I've simply always been passionate about. I wish to eventually make art that becomes a part of something bigger than myself. That brings a little happiness, perception, and inspiration into others, morphing my internalized thinking more loudly into the world.
Thank you for taking the time to view my website! I hope you found an item you liked, but even then, every ounce of support is greatly appreciated! I would love to see and personally thank you guys for purchasing any items, so if you did feel free to tag me (@rickilenae via twitter, @rickijohnson via IG)! Keep an eye out for future pieces that I’m currently working on! Much love! <3