Carolyn Johnson-Bell
acrylic and colored pencil
About the Artist
Carolyn Johnson-Bell, (aka Lehl) was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She was an honors- graduate of PSU, and raised two daughters. Carolyn has spent all of her life in creative pursuits such as drawing, painting, embroidery and gardening. She started her own mural and decorative painting business 1991 and worked hard at it for over two decades.
Because painting professionally in private homes took so much of her life, any time spent in the garden or focusing on her own artwork has always been extremely precious to her. In 2016, she and her husband Steve Lehl decided to move to Salem, to downsize and be closer to some of the family. She seized the opportunity to really develop and bloom.
After acting as lead artist and originator of the Salem based “How We Grow Our Food” artists group project for five years, she has turned her focus back to the earth and to the garden that she loves in order to showcase the beauty of what we eat and how it grows. By combining her three favorite passions; Food, Art and Gardening, she has reinvented a life where everything meshes.
Currently, Carolyn is not only a member of the Lunaria Gallery Co-op; she also shows work in Galleries in Independence, Salem, and McMinnville, Oregon. Carolyn is also a member of the Salem Art Association and Artist’s In Action. She is truly living the life she always imaged.
Artist Statement
As artist’s, we devote large portions of our lives to practicing and perfecting our craft; be it drawing, painting, or needlework. My own life is no exception. I believe I was made that way and it’s what I’ve been designed to do. The time I feel the most alive is when I’m creating. It’s when I feel most connected to my inner being. That and when I’m in my garden. As a gardener, an artist and a foodie at heart, the idea of combing these three loves of mine was unquestionably irresistible.
Back in 2018 when I was fairly new to the area, I had the idea of doing just that and founded an artist’s group called “How We Grow Our Food.” I was able to persuade nine other artists to join me in a mission to create artworks based on how food is grown and how beautiful it is as it does so. As a collaborative, we created and produced many wonderful pieces, and had multiple shows in a number of venues around the region. We continued for five years, even as membership waxed and waned throughout the Covid shutdowns.
During that time, I continued to produce work in that theme, and found it very rewarding. The sight of nourishing edible fruits and vegetables emerging from the work of my own hands brings such a feeling of pride, it sustains me in ways that few things can.
As a visual artist, I recognize and appreciate the beauty in everyday things that others may miss. I often include these overlooked gems in my work, to give the viewer glimpses of the world as I see it. I encourage people to slow down a little and enjoy our world by exalting the mundane towards the extraordinary; to “taste and see”… this is what brings me a special kind of joy.
The subject matter of my work takes many detours and sometimes shifts from landscapes to botanicals, with occasional side trips to still life; but it maintains a devotion to nature and an adherence to the beauty of the natural world. My hope is that it brings joy to others as well.
Carolyn