In this episode of The Truth In This Art, the guest is Miles Johnson!

About Miles Johnson: Miles Johnson is a self-described "unclassically untrained oil painter" and mechanical engineer based in the DMV area. In over 4 years—starting with over a year on iPad before transitioning to oils 3 years ago—he has created numerous pieces. His late grandmother was a painter herself who created approximately 300 pieces and inspired his creative path. Miles first painted her portrait last summer for his solo show.

Growing up, Miles would run cross-country to the Smithsonian, where Thomas Cole's four-part series "Voyage of Life" gave him a revelation: "I never thought that paintings were like almost manga panels." He also draws inspiration from Little Black Goat, incorporating anime-style faces into his work. Miles applies his engineering background with painting by creating bullet-point lists and maintaining over 200 pages of documentation in Google Docs. His research process studies figures like Fannie Lou Hamer—someone who was "born into sharecropping and ended up dying with a foundation that gave a million acres of land across Mississippi."

Later we discussed Miles working on Common People Ain't Common, a 2025 undertaking. He made 100 pieces dedicated to celebrating the small moments in life and of the people he has observed.  His goal was to make this art affordable for the everyday people who supported him on his art journey. His aim is that these pieces will serve as a great investment for first-time collectors. 

His Instagram handle @MJonthewall pays homage to Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall" album.
Connect with Miles on Instagram and TikTok at @MJonthewall or visit MJonthewall.com.

The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore). 

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production: