Diana Johnson, Freeport artist, paints landscapes in oil and pastel. As a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America, Johnson has won awards for her pastel paintings and exhibits them in galleries. Her most recent awards are “Second” at the 2008 Pastel Painters of Maine’s Members exhibit and "Best in Show" at the 2007 exhibit. Works have been included in New York exhibitions at the National Arts Club and at the Salmagundi Club. She participates in local gallery exhibitions at Wiscasset Bay Gallery and Fore Street Gallery. She is represented in the 2007 edition of American Art Collector. Johnson is a recipient of a 2007 "Good Idea Grant" awarded by the Maine Arts Commission.

Johnson’s inspiration comes from vibrant and harmonious landscapes that are abundant in Maine. She looks for places that elicit both a sense of rest and rejuvenation while paying attention to the fluid effects of radiant energy on land, water, and air. The more a painting seems to emit energy, as if from the paper itself, the happier she is with the results.

Johnson enjoys encouraging others to explore the visual arts by offering art classes at the University of Southern Maine’s Center for Continuing Education and through Freeport Community Education. Her Bachelors degree in Art Education and her Masters degree in Education were both earned at the University of Southern Maine.