PROJECT ONWARD

"Chuckie" Johnson b. 1940, Chicago, IL

"Chuckie" Johnson has been creating what he terms Folk Art for decades. His drawings and paintings of mostly solitary figures reflect his interest in idealized beauty and the appreciation of life's little moments, as well as the human condition of loneliness.

In addition to being a prolific artist, Chuckie has been a songwriter and a long-distance swimmer, earning twenty-two trophies during his career. Although Chuckie has been making artwork since his youth, he has had more time to devote to his work since retiring from Liberty Photo Engraving in 1996. He began selling his work in the park and accepting donations.

Being a street artist is hard. As Chuckie explains, "A painting never sells before it's time." This mantra has kept Chuckie busy producing a massive body of work including hundreds of drawings, watercolors and acrylic paintings on canvas and cardboard. His dedication to making sure that his audience understands the artwork has led him to give thorough explanations for his process and the content on the back of each piece. "I always write down on the back of the picture the date and time of how long it takes to finish. I use pencil, ink and watercolor. I like the color to be light so the people can see... Sometimes I ask myself, are they happy when they are buying my picture? I always wonder, 'What can I do to meet the needs of the people?' I like for them to tell me the truth."