The layers of life, above, below, within, have been likened to an onion. They have been preached by preachers, catalogued by scientists, exalted by gospels, mapped by tribes, sung, logged, gestured toward, pondered and bowed to...but never trapped. With my paintings I'm trying to capture a drop of the essence of these depths while knowing full well that I am attempting the impossible. The beauty and intricacy of patterns in nature, the wonder of what lies beneath our feet or far beyond our comprehension above our heads....these mysterious spaces invite themselves into my paintings. "Invite" is too kind a word because Nature's beauty often barges through the doors of my perception demanding to be glorified. 

Cada Johnson Design has evolved over the past 30 years from a handful of jobs in graphic design offices to a hand painted clothing company, countless textile explorations and 3 business name changes. After I migrated from the East Coast via Ohio to Seattle in 1987 I began to grow more connected and aware of the wild world. I eventually moved out to the forests and away from the populated cities and wound up in rural Oregon where I continue to embark upon the never ending fascinating experience of homesteading 6 acres. The natural world continues to be my muse and my relationship to it and my desire to honor the earth deepens with every year's passing. 

"Ever since there have been men, man has given himself over to too little joy. That alone, my brothers, is our original sin. I should believe only in a God who understood how to dance." 
​Henri Matisse