New exhibition celebrates the artwork of John Johnson: Hobby Artist at Sea

Published: 04 November 2022

John Johnson was born in Papa Stour in 1873 but lived most of his adult life in Lerwick. He was a seaman, and shipping was naturally his favourite hobby. As an amateur artist, he enjoyed painting local scenes depicting typical seascapes and landscapes.

Dr. Ian Tait, Shetland Museum and Archives curator said: “We’re delighted to be sharing the works of John Johnson.  Many a Shetland seaman tried his hand making model ships or painting their vessel, but John’s work was a cut above the usual for a hobby artist.  His paintings show familiar scenes of Lerwick and the activity in the harbour there, and he often used photographs or magazine illustrations for inspiration.  His ships in bottles show the sailing craft that were rare on the oceans in his day, and he framed much of his own artwork.”

The exhibition, which is located in the Shetland Museum ‘Neuk’ – a small new display space located in the Upper Boat Hall viewing area – includes 11 framed paintings and two ships in bottles.

The exhibition will run until Spring 2023.