“While Johnston has admirers who value the excellence of his surfaces and forms, it’s his ability to connect with something deeply personal in so many different people that sets him apart from other sculptors.”
~ American Arts Quarterly magazine, Spring 2001
An abiding love of Shakespeare has flowered in Johnston’s studio for decades. Throughout his life, Johnston has studied the great writer’s works, and has created sculptures of seven Shakespeare characters. Among them is a unique grouping of five sculptures called Shakespeare’s Court with Romeo and Juliet’s First Kiss in the center, surrounded by King Lear, Hamlet, Puck and The Court Jester. Each of these sculptures would be a splendid addition to a Shakespearean theatre or a performing arts center anywhere in the world. Shakespeare’s Court would draw attention far and wide.
Early in his career, Johnston created The Tempest, of a singular strong woman facing the storm. In 1986, the sculptor created an entirely different, voluptuous sculpture of Romeo and Juliet in a passionate moment of young rapture.
In 2018, while recovering from an injury, Johnston memorized eight beloved Shakespeare soliloquies. He then wrote and performed a play (tying them together with his own verse) in the character of the brilliant bard expressing his impressions of the modern world. It made for a lively and fascinating evening.
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