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d’Elaine A. Herard Johnson is an artist primarily based in Edmonds, Washington. d'Elaine Johnson (Edmonds) was raised in Auburn, Washington, and received a BA in Art Education from Central Washington University and an MFA from the University of Washington. She served for twenty-four years as a Visual Arts Instructor in Seattle. Johnson was inspired by her former students and experiences as one of the first female scuba divers. Much of her artwork focuses on water and its life-giving properties, and the myths and lore of the people of the world.

d'Elaine Johnson was born on March 19, 1932, with low vision in her left eye and legally blind in her right. She was known as an artist in school but was told she would not be able to go to college because of her vision. After high school, she was awarded two scholarships and attended Central Washington University where she was involved in multiple organizations including as a Violinist in the CWSU string quartet and University Orchestra. Due to her disability, Johnson had to work “twice as hard as other students” and relinquished her social life to succeed in class while also financially supporting herself. At 22 she became a full-time educator and was an art instructor until she was 47 when her vision no longer allowed her to continue as a teacher. She began creating art in a day-lit studio and exhibited her work at venues where sales were not required so that Social Security disability wouldn’t cancel her stipend, until age 65. Johnson did not acknowledge her disability until her 70s because she wanted to “compete in the art arena as an equal to the best of painters” but began acknowledging it to try to inspire younger artists.

[Source: "Diligence" by d'Elaine A. Herard Johnson, and https://www.delainejohnson.com/about]