For Johnson, deconstructing a flower into its individual petals became a metaphor for rebuilding a life. Each petal carries its own shape, colour, and character, but together they create something far more breathtaking than any one piece could achieve alone. In much the same way, this body of work reflects a season of gathering together the many parts of herself — artist, mother, friend, dreamer — and discovering how they belong to one another.

Created in Johnson’s first home as a single mother, these paintings mark the beginning of a new chapter defined by freedom, independence, and the quiet confidence of building a life on her own terms. Rather than looking backward, this collection celebrates what it feels like to emerge, to breathe deeply, and to dance beneath the petals of a life that is still unfolding.

Charlene Johnson is an Edmonton-based Canadian visual artist whose painting practice explores belonging, identity, and emotional connection through portraiture, abstraction, and landscape. Working across these interconnected forms, she creates paintings that examine the relationship between people, place, and the stories we carry, inviting moments of reflection, recognition, and quiet contemplation.

Her work has been exhibited in The Female Gaze at The Paint Spot (2024), the Capital City Arts display at the Edmonton Public Library (2024), 5 Artists 1 Love at the Art Gallery of Alberta (2025), and in her solo exhibition Protect Her Peace through the YWCA Peck Visual Arts Program (2025). Her paintings are held in private collections throughout Alberta.

Drawing from her lived experience as a Black woman, mother, and lifelong Albertan, Charlene’s work reflects an ongoing exploration of representation, beauty, resilience, and our connection to the natural world. Whether painting expressive portraits, luminous abstractions, or atmospheric landscapes, she is interested in creating spaces where viewers can slow down, engage emotionally, and discover new ways of seeing themselves and the world around them.

Committed to continual artistic growth, Charlene’s practice is shaped by self-directed study, sustained studio experimentation, and an evolving body of work that contributes to Edmonton’s vibrant visual arts community.