Born in 1992 in Seattle, Washington, Brandon Elijah Johnson lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

As we step into Johnson's world, somewhere between imagination and reality, we become a part of his visual diary. A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Johnson reinterprets familiar ordinary scenes in his paintings and drawings, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time. He takes reference images from his direct environment and intentionally - or not - offers a representative picture of today’s world. His vivid compositions draw from pop culture, embrace pastiche, and remain attached to the here and now. As part of a generation willingly returning to figurative painting, Johnson moves away from pure representation, at times infusing a touch of playfulness, and distancing himself from painterly conventions. Between fiction and documentary reality, Johnson’s works reveal a part of our collective memory.

Brandon Elijah Johnson

Description

Location

With a certificate of authenticity signed by the Artist.

Authentication

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Painting

True Romance

Oil on canvas 
2025
"A painting about the joy of painting, through trials and tribulations." - Brandon Elijah Johnson

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So how is the painting stuff?

Oil on canvas 
2024
This work is a study of a friend’s living room in Cape Cod, where Brandon Elijah Johnson stayed for several nights during a residency. The evening light created a distinctly moody and atmospheric quality, which he sought to capture in paint. The piece reflects both the ambiance of the space and the artist’s reflections on revisiting the experience through the act of painting.

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Midnight at the Zany Daisy

Oil on canvas 
2024
This painting serves as a visual interpretation of an underwater basket weaver, a phrase often used humorously in academic circles to describe courses perceived as lacking practical utility. Johnson frequently encountered this expression when sharing that he was studying painting, and the work playfully engages with that recurring commentary.

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Almamater

Oil on canvas 
2022
A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Brandon Elijah Johnson typically reinterprets a familiar or an ordinary scene, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time. In this portrait, Johnson pays homage to famed artist and ’70s Chronicler, Duncan Hannah who passed away at age 69 earlier in 2022 and whose diary and memoir thoroughly inspired Johnson. Hannah immersed himself in the wild New York scene of Warhol, then emerged in the ’80s as a respected painter.

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The Painterman

Oil on canvas 
2022
A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Brandon Elijah Johnson typically reinterprets a familiar or an ordinary scene, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time.

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Claire's Knee

Oil on canvas 
2021
A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Brandon Elijah Johnson typically reinterprets a familiar or an ordinary scene, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time.

Crystal Vision_Full

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Crystal Vision

Private Eye_Full

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Private Eye

Oil on canvas 
2021
A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Brandon Elijah Johnson typically reinterprets a familiar an ordinary scene, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time.

Front

detail

detail1

wall

Poor Sport