About Cynthia

Cynthia Farrell Johnson is a fan of vibrant colors.  Her works in gouache and acrylic have been inspired by the people she met and places where she lived during 25 years of globetrotting as a U.S. diplomat.  Service in West Africa, Central and South America exposed her to a wide variety of artistic traditions and forms of expression.  Her role models are Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Faith Ringgold and Vincent Van Gogh.  Johnson currently makes her home in Silver Spring, Maryland, and draws much of her inspiration for themes and color schemes from the Washington, D.C. region's rich, cultural diversity.  

Johnson is a member of Women’s Caucus for Art/Greater Washington Chapter and Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, where she has her art studio. She is listed in the Maryland State Artists Registry.  Her work is included in the West Indian Museum of Panama, as well as the DC Arts & Humanities Art Bank, the Shepherd’s Table and the Martha's Table collections.   Johnson has served on the Advisory Board of the School of Fine & Performing Arts, State University of New York at New Paltz, and the board of Silver Spring Town Center, Inc.

In July 2013, Johnson was awarded an Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County Individual Artist/Scholar Grant.  She was Artist-in-Residence at Wesley Theological Seminary's Luce Center for the Arts & Religion in 2011, and prior to that was Artist-in-Residence at Iona Senior Services, both in Washington, D.C.

Johnson’s paintings have been exhibited overseas in cultural centers and galleries in Africa and in Latin America.  As a participant in the Department of State’s Art in Embassies Program, Ms. Johnson has placed her work in U.S. ambassadorial residence in Niger, Nicaragua, Serbia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, and Bolivia.