Were there artists around as you grew and learned that you admired or who influenced your work?

As a kid I read loads of comics, but it's not an influence anymore. When I was around 14 my parents took me to see a huge retrospective of Picasso. I still remember it. Then the first time I ever went to New York I saw a big exhibit on Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Whitney. It changed my life. The way he mixed graffiti, pop culture, music, and politics into his art... The way he used text... His paintings are essentially drawings and words with loads of colour. My own work may not seem connected to Basquiat's, but seeing that show really opened my eyes and, this may sound strange, but gave me "permission" to try different things, add text in my work, etc. At the time I remember thinking "Wow, it's okay
to do that in a painting?" About 5 or 6 years ago I saw a show by the Royal Art Lodge for the first time, and that was an influence as well, in the sense that it validated drawing as its own art form.

Can you describe your studies and how you transitioned your passion into your full time career?

I got my Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Fine Art, but I didn't really find my style, my voice until much later. I drew for several years before I showed my work to anybody. Once I started putting my work out there, participating in group shows, posting my work online, I really gained momentum. People started emailing me, asking if they could buy my drawings. So I eventually set up an online shop (http://shop.marcjohns.com), which made things easier for me and made art purchasing more accessible. It was one of the best things I've ever done. I've sold prints and drawings to people all over the world. Some have ordered from me 3 or 4 times, which is pretty awesome. You really get to know people after a while. I try and write a little note or do a little drawing in every package I send out. The internet has been the best tool in the world. It makes artists so much more accessible, if they choose to be.

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