Meet Artist Henry Pernell Johnson

Featured artist in our Summer 2010 Artist eNewsletter.

Henry Pernell Johnson was born and raised in Cordele, Georgia, 1967. His goal is to nurture and cultivate the unique qualities of each person through his art work. As a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design, he says teaching keeps the roots of his artistic skills watered. His life was shaped by his mother and father, Diane Flood and Henry Johnson. It is the up bringing which inspires his remarkable work. Although Pernell has termed himself “ordinary,” his ability to make the ordinary special through his art is extraordinary.

Pernell is a graduate of Crisp High, Cordele, GA. After high school he pursued a career in Art at The Art Institute of Atlanta where he earned an AA, Florida State University, BS and The Savannah College of Art and Design where he earned his Master of Fine Arts. He concentrated in illustration and graphic design. Although many of his pieces are graphic and illustration, he does not limit himself with subject matter. Pernell chooses subject matter that moves him personally. He dwells in the emotional bonds between an illustrator and his subjects, while leaving the image open to interpretation by those who view it. Henry Pernell Johnson is a Professor of Foundation Studies at Savannah College of Art & Design.