Robert Johnson, Painted Portraits Of Ike/Bud Grant/Billy Graham/Red Skelton
Bill Schenley
By Trudi Hahn, obituary writer
http://www.startribune.com/stories/466/5107656.html
Robert Johnson, a commercial artist whose commission work included
portraits of such well-known people as President Dwight Eisenhower and
Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant, died Tuesday of pneumonia, which he
contracted shortly after cancer had been diagnosed. He was 75.
Johnson, of Pine City, Minn., also illustrated under the pseudonym
Mark Scott. He was born in St. Paul and attended the Chicago Academy
of Fine Arts and the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. He worked
for several ad agencies and commercial art studios, but mostly was
self-employed, said his daughter Cara Bullock, of Delano, Minn.
Johnson's portrait commissions also included the Rev. Billy Graham,
former Vice President Walter Mondale and comedian Red Skelton. Johnson
did most of them from photographs, and most were done as
black-and-white sketches in pencil, his favorite medium.
"He clearly has his own distinct way of capturing shadows and facial
expressions," his daughter said. Using color would have distracted
from that.
Johnson also did extensive work in product packaging and advertising
for the automotive adhesive department of 3M Co. in Maplewood. Many
retiring 3M presidents chose to have their portraits done by Johnson
as part of their retirement packages, Bullock said.
He chose his pseudonym after one of his sons, Mark Scott Johnson, was
found at the age of 5 or 6 trying to scrawl his name on one of
Johnson's paintings.
In addition to daughter Cara Bullock, survivors include his wife,
Mariann, of Pine City; another daughter, Kristy Johnson of Loretto;
sons Steve of Pine City, David of Stafford, Va., Mark of Cashiers,
N.C., Brad of Mazatlan, Mexico, Paul of Big Lake, Minn., and Bobby and
Keith of St. Louis Park.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church
in Pine City.