Steph Johnsen grew up the shadows of the Wasatch mountains in northern Utah. She earned a a BFA in a dual concentration of Painting/Drawing and Printmaking at Utah State University and MFA in Printmaking at The University of Montana; both on scholarship. She married her James in 2007 and they currently reside with their four fantastically fun children in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
She and her family take to the mountains, rivers and deserts as often as possible! The natural landscape of the west is a great influence on her work. Steph has spent years working as a whitewater river guide in Denali Alaska, Southern Utah, across Colorado and Salmon River in Idaho. She has resided in Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. She has years of experience working as a snowboard instructor, camp counselor and rappelling instructor. Her experiences, stories and interactions in these natural settings inform much of the context of her work. Steph’s work has been shown internationally and across the western United States. Along with teaching various art workshops, she has taught relief, screen-printing and lithography at the University of Montana and is currently teaching intaglio and bookarts at BYU-Idaho.
Steph is always ready for the next adventure or challenge. She is happiest when creating and exploring with her family. Her greatest desire in this life is to add value to this world and her community through her art, work, words and interactions.