Johnstone was born in Hamburg, Germany came to Australia in 1962 and studied at East Sydney Tech (National Art School) from 1980 to 1982 Post and Higher Certificates in Painting and Printmaking and did her Post-Graduate Diploma in Professional Studies, College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales in 1983.

Ingrid Johnstone’s abstract paintings, imbued with gestural energy, capture the essence of colours that tickle our senses – the contours and shapes of the forms are distinctive with a broad spectrum of colours from mouth-watering magenta, pineapple yellow, sublime aquamarine, cobalt and turquoise blues and candied greens.

She uses her paint with great passion, thick, thin, muted textural, smooth, tonal, lucious, dotted, sprayed, dripped. Above all her work is very painterly.

Johnstone has marvelled at the patience of weavers labouring at the looms in Morocco and the cloths in India, Burma and the Ibans in Sarawak. Her imagery is fired by the Dogon tribes in Africa and the textiles in Peru. She structures the repetitive horizontal and vertical weavings of the threads into her own symbolic patterns. She transcends her imagery into her own landscapes.

Johnstone has had 10 Solo Exhibitions in Australia since 1989

  • 2010 FOUR SEASONS at Stella Downer Fine Art Sydney
  • 2006 RESONANCE at Stella Downer Fine Art Sydney
  • 2004 COLOUR AND LIGHT at Stella Downer Fine Art Sydney
  • 2001 SENSE AND PLACE at Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney
  • 1998 A PASSAGE OF TIME at Crawford Gallery Sydney
  • 1997 VENICE AND OTHER PLACES at Crawford Gallery Sydney
  • 1995 THE PRESENCE OF WINGS at Beatty Gallery Sydney
  • 1994 REFLECTIONS at Mary Place Gallery Sydney
  • 1992 SPIRIT SHIPS at Blaxland Gallery Sydney
  • 1989 TOTEMIC IMAGES at Blaxland Gallery Sydney

She has been represented in numerous group shows such as:

  • Sydney Printmakers
  • Mosman Regional Gallery 2003
  • Bathurst Regional Gallery
  • Art and About. The City of Sydney 2002
  • Atelier Skara, Norway 2002
  • Hazelhurst Regional Gallery 2001
  • Museo de Artecontemporanio Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile 1999
  • Sir Herman Black Gallery 1997-98
  • Exposicio D’Art Australia, Barcelona, Spain
  • Museum and Art Galleries of NT, Darwin 1991
  • Sydney Excelsior Galleries 1985
  • Ivan Dougherty Gallery 1983
  • Sydney Bloomfield Galleries 1981

She has won several Art Prizes since 1981.

Her works are represented in public collections such as Museum and Art Galleries of NT Darwin, Artbank, University of Western Australia, Reserve Bank, Dresdner Bank, Attorney Generals Department, IBM, Westpac New York and many private collections.

Ingrid Johnstone is represented by Stella Downer Fine Art, Sydney.