“Johnston combines the soul of a philosopher
with the hard experience of a war veteran
with few illusions about life.
The result is an art with spiritual dimension,
tested in the crucible of a first-rate intellect.
If his work betrays an abiding love for mankind,
it is not because he is deluded about human nature;
it is from charity towards our common heritage.
Whether he is tempering condemnation
with sympathy when treating human frailty
or circumscribing the glory of our highest
aspirations with mere flesh,
he plumbs each of his subjects for the rich
panoply of paradox at the heart of human meaning.”
~ Steve Mirabella, art critic