About Me

Coreyartus Imagery is about making beautiful things that remind us the world is a wonderful place. Sometimes simple & quiet, sometimes fraught with tension, sometimes magical or nostalgic – these storytelling moments help us feel, see, and experience perspectives that are both outside ourselves and intimately familiar at the same time.

It's all about creating empathy. Which is important in today's world. Really important.

My name is Corey Johnston, and I live in Eureka, California. I have a BFA in Theatre (Technical Emphasis) from University of Central Missouri, and a MFA in Theatre (Costume Emphasis) from Minnesota State University in Mankato. For 23 years I worked at the University of San Diego as their lone Costume faculty member.

Currently I create art I put on greeting cards, calendars, downloadable stationery sets. I am seeking freelance opportunities in the fields of licensing and book covers, but I also do other commercial work such as album covers. One recent cover included elements of one of the hands I drew in my series of 100 Hands of Family and Friends. My work has a high level of detail but can also be simplistic and straightforward. I don't attempt to do photographic reproduction or realistic rendering. My work can be highly stylized, emphasizing dramatic shapes of textured color. It hearkens to fantasy in many ways, alluding to high contrast lights and darks with rich hues.

Recent work has been granted Awards of Merit and two Honorable Mentions at Redwood Art Association shows. I've participated in several local fairs and festivals including Friday Night Markets in both Eureka and Arcata, the Arcata Fairy Festival, HAPI's Obon Festival, Fortuna's Apple Harvest Festival, Fig Twig, Humboldt Artisans Craft & Music Festival, Godwit Days Festival, and the Arcata Holiday Market.

You can find me on Mastodon, Pixelfed, Bluesky, and Cara. I don't do Facebook, Twitter, Threads, or TikTok, and while I still have an account on Instagram I've moved on and don't post there anymore.

I have my own Art Livestream that I do on a twice-weekly basis where you can actually watch as I put various pieces of projects together. I stream on Twitch and MakerTube, 1-4:00pm PDT (UTC -7). I keep all the recordings of my livestreams and my speedpaint videos on MakerTube instead of YouTube. 

You can find my work for sale at Good Day Shop in Arcata, CA, EmeraldZ Gift Shop and Games in Rio Delle, CA, as well as Eureka Books, Frankie's NY Bagels, and the Clarke Historical Museum in Eureka, CA.

I'm also a member of the Humboldt Arts Council, Humboldt Made, and the Redwood Art Association. My Costume Design portfolio website can be found here:www.coreyjohnstondesigns.com. It includes examples of various wearable art pieces as well as my digital costume renderings and inspiration boards. Please refer to that site for my non-illustrative forms of creative expression.