I recently had the pleasure of meeting local, esteemed artist Harold Johnson, formerly of Renton, at his home near SeaTac. While we talked, the atmosphere of vital creativity was enhanced by soft classical music.

“Music composition has similar elements to painting, and I like to listen while I paint,” Johnson explained.

During our interview I was intrigued by his eclectic living room, filled with music and art. One wall held guitars and other string instruments. All around us were large, elaborately framed oil paintings – most of them his own originals. There were also a few Leonardo da Vinci prints, whom many people say he resembles.

“da Vinci was a disorganized genius,” Harold said. “Few people know about all of his wise quotes. His notebooks and writings were in such disorder, and many were destroyed.”

A self-taught artist, Harold has won many awards and participated in internationally renowned shows, with commissions for his original oil paintings selling for as much as $27,000.

For a time, he leveraged his artistic talents working for one of the largest industrial design firms, Walter Dorwin Teague Associates, who have been doing aircraft design for Boeing since the 1940s. He said it was the last of the golden years of commercial art, before computer-aided design.

“I didn’t want to end up staring at a screen,” he said.

Now, he travels the world finding artistic inspiration with his favorite subjects of maritime, nature, wildlife, and classic automobiles.

One aspect I found intriguing was the fact that he can replicate his original works by making incredibly detailed prints at home on a large printing press. Harold can even make prints that show the brush strokes of the originals in large format size.

After grabbing a photo of his printing press for me, Harold repeated a couple of da Vince quotes and then gave me one of his own that resonated: “We are not just a copy machine or a camera. Every brush stroke is a decision and a reaction. Art requires a lot of thought – not just talent and a steady hand.” But doesn’t mean he shuns technology either, as you can see by his website of his work, and his You Tube channel showing the travels which inspire his art and videos teaching others about artistic techniques.

You can tell from many of his paintings that much of his art is inspired by old fishing villages and marinas.

“I really admire the old wooden fishing boats. Fifty years from now, there won’t be any of those wooden boats left. It’s a shame.” He talked of the traditional fishing done in old European villages. “They still live life by the tide.”

Born in Spokane on his family-owned Deer Creek Dairy Farm, he had no desire to keep the farm. It was art that commanded his attention, starting at as young as age 3. His confidence grew from his natural eye for perspective and drawing.

“I loved drawing and painting so much I would show other kids how to do it. I think most kids are creative when they’re young. At some point, they lose that,” he said. “Creativity thrives without negativity and criticism. Also, it seems like these days, kids think they have to be good at everything. Instead, they should concentrate on what they love to do, and become really good at that.”

I asked him about his life during the 60s as it was easy for me to imagine him during that era. He tossed his mane of silver hair, and said, “I never got into that long-haired hippie thing.”

“I skipped the drug part, but loved the music, playing my guitar, traveling to concerts, and meeting other musicians,” he said of those days. “I wish I had somehow captured that time in paintings or photographs. It was so unique.”

In 1987, Harold was named as one of the top 100 national parks artists by the Arts for the Parks Association. This led to his favorite commission sponsored by the National Parks and Conservation Association.

“This assignment was like a dream come true,“ he said. “Before I received this commission I asked myself ‘What would be the perfect commission?’ and I thought to myself, ‘I would love to do the National Parks’.

“I love the outdoors – I paint a tree in almost everything I do,” he continued. “It wasn’t long after that, that I received a phone call asking me to do the series, and of course I said ‘yes.’”

Johnson travels to a lot of art fairs and once went to as many as 26 shows in 36 states during a single year. His shows have included Arts for the Parks-National Parks, which is also shown in the Great hall of the Smithsonian. For several years he was involved in Renton’s annual art show.

He’s also a member of several esteemed artist groups including the American Society of Marine Artists, International Society of Marine Painters, and the Puget Sound Group of Northwest Painters.

“It’s so memorable to travel and paint with artist friends, and then meet other artists when we are traveling,” he said.

There are plans being made for spending a month in Italy to paint. They will rent a house as a home base and travel around from there.

Though now divorced, Harold is the father of five with his artist ex-wife and grandfather to children ages 1 through 10. His local roots go deep, as he raised his children in the Kennydale area of Renton on a ten acre Christmas Tree Farm.

Imagine that, Leonardo da Vinci at Christmastime, living in Renton!

For more information or to see more work by Harold Johnson, visit www.haroldwjohnson.com.

Reach Columnist Jaris English at renton.creativeside@gmail.com