Will you chip in to support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation today? Yes, I want to support My Lynnwood News!
‘d’Elaine Johnson Retrospective: Goddesses’
Exhibition: Dec. 5-Jan. 3, 2026
Graphite Arts Center, 202 Main St., Edmonds
Public hours: Fridays and Saturdays noon-5 p.m.; daily 4-8 p.m. through Charcoal Restaurant; plus on Thursday, Dec. 18 during Art Walk Edmonds.
The arts community gathered at The Gallery at Graphite on Saturday evening, Dec. 6, for a special reception celebrating the opening of d’Elaine Johnson Retrospective: Goddesses, co-hosted by Edmonds College and Graphite Arts Center. The night brought together local leaders, artists, students and long-time admirers to honor d’Elaine Johnson’s eight-decade career as an artist and her impressive legacy, including her significant donation to Edmonds College.
The retrospective at Graphite features over 20 large-scale works spanning nearly 30 years of Johnson’s career, focusing on goddess figures drawn from mythology and spiritual iconography from around the world.
“[Johnson’s] life revolves around art – it’s great that we can honor her impact on the Edmonds community,” said Mary Olsen, owner of Graphite Art Center and founder of Art Start NW.
Works such as Goddess of the Nile (Isis), Mother of Water, Protectress, The Mother and Safe Passage highlight Johnson’s long-standing fascination with the feminine as a symbol of protection, guidance and primordial origin.
Water imagery, particularly the Salish Sea and visible from Johnson’s studio, also flows throughout the exhibition, reflecting her lifelong relationship with water.
The event was crowded and humming with enthusiasm and conversation. Before the speakers began, slides of Johnson’s artwork gleamed on a large screen at the back, while neat rows of chairs occupied the central space. At the heart of Graphite, the seating and reception formed a harbor linking the gallery, the student exhibition and the surrounding artists’ studios.
The reception featured keynote remarks by Lillian Sherman, executive director of the Edmonds College Foundation; Edmonds College President Amit B. Singh; Melissa Newell, former art department chair at Edmonds College; and Tara Shadduck, gallery director of Graphite Gallery. In addition to d’Elaine Johnson, special guests included Ann Jenner of the University of Washington Libraries’ Special Collections; local artist Sue Coccia, a student of Johnson’s at Roosevelt High School; Mary Olsen of Graphite Arts Center; and other community members.
Perhaps d’Elaine Johnson’s most significant contribution is her extraordinary philanthropic commitment. Johnson’s expansive property overlooking the Puget Sound — which includes her artist studio, framing workshop, gallery and more than 1,200 of her original works — will be held in a trust and donated to Edmonds College to fund future scholarships in art and horticulture.
“The generous donation from d’Elaine Johnson will create a profound impact on future generations of Edmonds College students,” Singh said. “We are privileged to accept the great responsibility of being stewards of her beautiful artwork, ensuring her legacy remains in the spotlight and continues to inspire our community.”
“This gift will provide the freedom to create for students who don’t yet have a way to follow their dreams, and in doing so, [Johnson] has shown us that this is more than a monetary donation – it’s an act of faith in the power of art to change lives,” Singh added.
Melissa Newell reflected on longtime connection with Johnson, saying “our history goes way back before I actually was hired by the college and worked with a nonprofit artist organization called Artists Unlimited.” She recalled that “d’Elaine was key to helping us find space for those artists to work.” She also said that “she hosted arts roundtables at her lovely place and invited artists to show there.”
Newell added that the two have shared “an ongoing conversation about the importance of art in our communities and how important it is to support artists,” including not only visual artists but dancers, musicians, poets and others who enrich the cultural landscape.
Newell said it felt especially fitting that d’Elaine’s current exhibition centers on a motif she has explored for many years: the image of the Goddess. She explained that, to her, “She is a Goddess,” adding that Johnson has long embodied what it means to stand firmly in one’s identity and encourage anyone with creative interest to pursue it. Johnson holds space not only for her own work but for the work of others.
“d’Elaine is somebody with tremendous power and magic, and we’re all so very fortunate to have her in our lives,” Newell said, leaving several audience members teary-eyed.
Beyond her prolific painting career, Johnson, 93, is a foundational figure in Edmonds’ creative identity. She played a significant role in establishing Edmonds as Washington State’s first Creative District and was a beloved presence on the Edmonds Art Studio Tour for many years, opening her home studio each year until 2024.
When asked how she encourages young artists to keep their creativity alive, Johnson reflected on the “first language” of childhood expression. “Every little child – including us – is humming, moving and making marks, and when we’re asked what we’re doing there’s always a story behind it,” she said. As children grow into adulthood, that language of creativity can fade. “We have to help these kids continue with that very first language. That’s why I’m giving scholarships – just to catch them young, so they can have life and art as one.”
Though the Graphite exhibition marks the culmination of her career as an artist, Johnson has no intention of slowing down. “A paintbrush will be in my hand until my hand can’t hold it anymore,” she said.
A small accompanying exhibit of Edmonds College student artworks accentuates Johnson’s commitment to nurturing emerging artists. It features works by Alexandria Ashley, Christian Douglas, Joe Adler, Jud Hedges, Lika Rukhadze, Nicole Vargas and Vivae Rotov.
One of the students featured in the exhibition is Lika Rukhadze, recipient of the Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship. In an interview with My Neighborhood News, she said that the exhibition space immediately felt like home and was an inspiring experience she had never felt before. Rukhadze added that Johnson’s speech was particularly moving and motivates her to continue creating new work.
Rukhadze was described by an Edmonds College professional as “a great student who consistently contributes to the college.” Rukhadze will also begin volunteering at Graphite.
Sue Coccia was a student of Johnson’s when she taught at Roosevelt High School. In an interview with My Neighborhood News, Coccia recalled her high school art teacher affectionately. “I can remember sitting at the table, and she’d be at her desk working on a painting during the class,” Coccia said.
Inspired by Johnson, Coccia arranged her own academic work so she could devote her final year entirely to Johnson’s art class. “I got my academics done quickly in my three years of high school, so I could spend the last year just in her class, just sitting there, just taking all of it,” she said.
Coccia described Johnson’s influence on her as teaching her “perseverance” and inspiring her to transform stories of ancient symbolism into her own artwork.
Johnson emphasized that art is a form of language, using signs and symbols that have existed since the beginning of time. She explained that through these symbols, we can understand how people lived, what they ate, how they dressed and the world they inhabited. “It’s a sharing that goes forward forever,” she said, showing how art preserves experiences for future generations.
She declared: “I’ve had a great life. I am an artist.”
Great article!