Megan-Jane Johnstone
AO
Dr Megan-Jane Johnstone AO (preferred name Megan) is an emerging contemporary artist who resides in Melbourne. The primary inspiration for Megan’s work comes from the natural environment, stories of its genesis, and the geological and botanical histories associated with it. She is particularly captivated and inspired by the ‘fullness of emptiness’ of the vast Australian outback with its ancient geological formations and thriving desert florae.
Megan’s paintings encompass contemporary and abstract expressions of characteristic landscapes and unique geological features found in New Zealand (where she grew up) and outback regions of Australia (through which she has travelled extensively). She works in mixed media using water-based paints, acrylic inks, and graphite pencil. All works are on paper and have been produced using a dynamic combination of different methods and experimental renditions of the scenes portrayed. Her painterly interpretations of the colours and contours of landscapes and the unique geological formations within them aim to give viewers a multidimensional experience of the infinite possibilities in which the natural environment can be viewed, interpreted and enjoyed.
Education
Megan is a self-taught artist. Since first commencing her art practice in 2017 she has undertaken several online courses and face-to-face workshops with professional artists enabling her to explore and experiment with different mediums, genres and subject matter.
Prior to taking up her practice in 2017, Megan had a distinguished 43 year career in nursing–the last 30 years of which were spent in the university sector. Her academic positions have included appointments as professor of nursing respectively at RMIT University and Deakin University, Melbourne. In the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours list, she was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) for 'distinguished service to medical education in the field of nursing and healthcare ethics, to patients' rights, and to professional standards.'
Works by Megan-Jane Johnstone
Acknowledgment of traditional owners.
We would like to pay our respects to the traditional owners of the land on which our building stands, their leaders, past, present and emerging.