James W Johnson was born and raised in Upstate NY and moved to Lubbock, Texas in 1978. He received an MFA from Texas Tech University in 1981 and has continued to live in Lubbock as a studio artist.

Johnson has spent about 90,000 hours making more than 2,000 works of art in the last 50 years. While being primarily a painter, he has produced a complex body of work in a wide variety of mediums such painting, drawing, sculpture, etching, video, digital, mixed media and furniture. He has participated in over 200 exhibitions worldwide and over 1,000 of his pieces of artwork are included in hundreds of public and private collections.

In October, 2025, James was inducted into the West Texas Walk of Fame, a program of Civic Lubbock, which began by honoring Buddy Holly.

In June, 2024, James received the Legacy Award at the 10th Annual Art on the Llano Estacado", a group exhibition at The Museum of Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX.

In February, 2011, James was co-winner of the 2011 Willian D Kerns Award for the Visual Arts from the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts.

As of October, 2025, there are over 900 Available unique pieces and 36 Digital Videos featured on this website. Feel free to contact the artist if you are interested in a purchase. There are also over 1,000 Unavailable unique pieces shared here.

Living “outside” of the mainstream art world has allowed James to perfect his craft and independently pursue an impressive flow of ideas and images that defy categorization, yet present his observations about art and life from his unique perspective.
In 2002, James created "The Anti-Stylist's Manifesto".

Resume found HERE

Extended Story-style Bio found HERE

October 2025 Radio Interview with Clint Barrick on KLZK

Some James W Johnson paintings are available at Broadway Contemporary Fine Arts Gallery
and The Charles Adams Gallery in Lubbock, TX.