George Johanson, a major and beloved Pacific Northwest artist whose career spanned more than 70 years, died from heart failure on Friday night, October 14, 2022. He was 94.
“George’s passing leaves a huge hole in the Oregon art scene,” Eugene painter Margaret Coe said Sunday, October 16, 2022, on Facebook. “He was a brilliant artist from my favourite generation of Oregon artists, and it saddens me that he has left us.
I did not study with him but I know he was a great teacher. He certainly was a delightful conversationalist.
He had a generosity of spirit on a level that is rare. He was greatly loved, which is as great a legacy as his varied and extraordinary oeuvre.”
Johanson was well-known among art enthusiasts for his mastery of both painting and printmaking, as well as for a few recurring themes in many of his works, such as long-taut leaping cats or volcanoes erupting in the background.
To his friends and students, he was also known for his sly wit and enjoyment of playing the piano.