Nature of Things is thrilled to participate in this yearâs EXPO Chicago, taking place at the Navy Pier from April 9 - 12, 2026, with a solo presentation of works on paper and paintings by Gretta Johnson. Find us at Booth 229!
Image 1: Gretta Johnson, Always in Vogue, 2022, acrylic gouache and pastel on canvas, 32 x 36â
Image 2: Gretta Johnson, Dream Figure Composition, 2025, watercolor on paper, 10.75 x 14.75â, Framed 14.75 x 18.75 x 1.5â
Gretta Johnsonâs paintings are luminous and vibrant, full of kinetic movement and opposing tension. Johnsonâs figuration derives from a vertiginous mental perspective, rather than a physical representation. She is an informal student of Jungian psychology and incorporates symbolic forms, from her practice and her own dreams, evoking the very transformative processes of painting itself. Building up her surfaces from light to dark, ghost-like images come through just beneath the surface, creating a luminous glow from within.
Gretta Johnson (b. 1985, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and events curator. She holds a BFA in animation from Rhode Island School of Design, has participated in numerous film festivals, published comic books, and shown paintings in exhibitions throughout the country. For the past 13 years, she has been the artist-in-chief for Grimm Artisanal Ales, based in Brooklyn, New York.
@gretta_j @expochicago 
