Beginning with her childhood, NC senior Gabrielle Johnson’s artistic style has evolved and taken new forms. Johnson uses various mediums and incorporates activism on social and political themes mixed with her self-expression. Before creating a specific piece, Johnson sketches a few thumbnails and often uses the help of her friends to choose the best composition for the work of art.
Johnson’s style and talent have evolved throughout her life, beginning in elementary school where she would create sculptures and collages. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Johnson took Visual Art Composition (V.A. Comp) and started to take an interest in different genres of art such as needlework and impressionism. As she transitioned into high school, she continued to see the potential strength her talent holds. Throughout her academic years, Johnson took up high positions within her clubs of interest. As president of the National Art Honors Society (NAHS), Communications Director of Greenhouse Gang and swim team manager, Johnson contributes heavily to various departments around N.C.. In addition, Johnson holds the position of Concertmaster in the orchestra for playing the violin for seven years.
“The art I’ve seen from Gabby has deep meaning. I think it’s really interesting and I really think that the references to different parts of the world and diversity in her art are amazing. Her art is so detailed and pleasing to the eyes, and she has a lot of mediums she does which I think is interesting,” sophomore Grier Coats said.
Social media and social conflicts also inspire Johnson’s art. As a minority on three fronts, Johnson enjoys creating art to advocate for different issues, highlighting her personal struggles and the discrimination individuals experience in the U.S. Her art showcases aspects of societal standards ranging from body standards to racism. This detail provides struggling individuals with the voice they otherwise may lack.
Johnson’s art style shows incredible unique aspects of both surrealism and impressionism as she incorporates acrylic paint on canvas, fiber and different materials such as cornstarch and sugar in the collages and mixed media work she creates. Johnson also enjoys creating sculptures and paintings with oil pastels. In addition, Johnson enjoys live painting, a type of painting that occurs live on stage with multiple people. To Johnson’s pleasure, NAHS holds an event for this art form multiple times a year.
“I began drawing dragons and anime characters, which I feel is the default for a lot of artists who are just starting out. When I was younger I drew original characters and created my own stories. Gradually as I’ve gotten older I became more interested in realism and eventually, I’ve combined different elements, like not only realism but also abstract ideas in situations that can’t be feasible. One of my pieces had a girl in front of a computer for my Advanced Placement (AP) Art portfolio, so I like to combine visually realistic elements with abstract ideas,” Johnson said.
In 2024, Johnson received acceptance to the Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) for Visual Arts and attended Georgia Southern University (GSU) for a month to experience majoring in her passion. At GHP, Johnson learned about different mediums and focused on one of her previously unfamiliar skills — abstract art — to solidify her previous abilities. After her month-long education, Johnson took part in a final gallery show with two of her art pieces.
One of Johnson’s favorite projects includes the Black History Month mural she painted at NC. February 2024. Johnson contributed a significant portion of her time and energy to finish this mural, and she collaborated with other members of NAHS to finish the promising project. Even with a slight lack of time and materials, Johnson managed to inspire a portion of her peers and classmates to work on the mural alongside her and complete the composition quickly. After the mural’s success, Johnson recognized her love for the enterprise and plans to continue creating such projects in cities such as Chicago or Atlanta.
Johnson plans to pursue her love of art and activism in her adult life as she attends college for visual arts while incorporating political or scientific aspects such as environmental issues. She plans to start with a Bachelor’s degree, and possibly work her way up to an even higher education.
“As long as you’re making art, there’s nowhere for you to mess up. As long as you keep going, art will be successful in practice. As long as you’re making art it will always be good art. I think especially if it’s effective art that reflects what you believe in, it will always be good,” Johnson said.
