Mark Johnson was born and raised in Winter Garden, Florida.  He began drawing at the age of 8 and was inspired by his love for the outdoors and fishing to preserve his vision of nature on canvas.  

     As a fishing guide on the southwest coast of Florida and many years spent producing both skin mounts and replicas of fish, he became very familiar with his subject matter. His paintings are realistic portrayals of Florida marine wildlife and landscape created primarily from his memory and imagination.

    Mark is self-taught and has been painting and exhibiting professionally since 1996.  He prefers to sketch on canvas or masonite board after applying several coats of gesso, sanding in between each layer. Many admirers have stated how Mark is able to capture the “real-life essence” of whatever he paints.