Hi, I am Gina and I am located in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

Every single painting I created with love for art. Every single book I wrote, it is a part of my Inner  Universe. 

Gina Nicolae Johnson was born in Romania and moved to the USA in 2005. Writer, journalist, novelist, poet (author of three poetry books, a novel, and several art books) and artist - painter. 'I am in love with the canvas and creating with beautiful colors. It is so easy for me to 'write a poem', but instead with a brush, colors, and a variety of media, but particularly onto canvas. It makes me feel good about being able to share the gift of art with others. In painting, I discovered myself to be one artist more profound, delicate, with my imagination exploring everywhere, every single corner of the Universe and behind. There are no limits in painting. The first time I started painting was at the young age of 4 years old. I will always remember my grandmother telling me to be careful with the colors and not make mess in the house. I transfer in my painting everything I have discovered about Love, Humans, Life, Nature, Animals and many more subjects that are primordial to us, in order to see with an open mind and welcoming spirit. Inspiration is abundant, from love the flowers, delight at a beautiful sunset, or the ocean, a bird chirping, the sky and a day when I can see colors in front of my eyes. In the same manner, I like the abstract art, painting subjects that can be easy to translate into realism if you have an eye for this style. I enjoy being able to paint from images dreamt at night, from what I see with my mind, it makes me want more and to share with everyone the joy I have when a painting is finished. Painting captivates to the point that I don't even notice the passing of time'

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PAINTINGS ARE ACRYLIC AND OIL ON STRETCHED CANVAS​

"All I have become today is because of my grandmother, a hard working villager with the biggest heart I have ever known.   I learned from her to love Nature, flowers, to be good, to share with others from what I have and to never forget that God is there for us when we need Him.  My grandmother was a very modest woman,  who raised 9 children and me. 
​In the communist times back home in Romania, when I was a small child, all I had to do at night was read to my grandmother, out of books borrowed from my village. She did not know how to read because the war started when she had just been admitted to the 1st grade, and she never had a chance to go back to school.  She always told me to study, to make a career for myself and to build a better life. 
At night, the dictator Ceausescu turned off the electricity and I was reading in light from a lantern, made out of cotton and cooking oil. I lived a modest life. My father died when I was very young and my mother worked hard to provide for my brother and I. Because I was born premature, my grandparents decided to take me in and take care of me. When I grew older, I never wanted to go back to my parents in the city. The village was home for me and my grandmother was my guardian angel that I could not be separated from. She was a widow for more then 20 years and I was also her world, just me and her. I slept in the same bed with her until I went to college and we shared everything. I learned so much from the most important woman from my life: she taught me how to live with so little at the time, how  to not care for material things and to be thankful for every meal that I had. 
When I published my first book, at very young age, and as one of the youngest authors at that time in our city, I dedicated the book to my grandmother. She died few months later, but very happy, telling me: “I am happy that you listened to me and studied enough to become someone that people love and respect". 
I wanted to talk a little bit about my experiences back then because they are part of my life and I will always be proud of those times with my grandmother.  I would not be who I am today if I didn't pass all the stages in life and learn from all that I walked by. My grandmother, Vasilica Lazar, will always be in my heart, with so much gratitude that she showed me for the beauty of life, how to smile when it is dark outside, to be positive, to love everyone around me,  care for animals, to show compassion to the ones in need and to never forget my roots. 
After I left my village, I moved to a big city,  published my books, bought a small condominium and enjoyed a career in journalism. Life is beautiful no matter where you start and how far you go. It is the same for all of us, no matter where we are coming from and where our steps are taking us. 
I am a happy American, but at the same time, proud to be a Romanian and to be related to the story I just wrote. 
Writing and painting - my best friends where I can go anytime with joy and happiness". ​

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
​GINA NICOLAE JOHNSON
2020