Pat Meier-Johnson named Treasure Artist

Sonoma artist Pat Meier-Johnson was named this week as the Sonoma Treasure Artist of 2022. The annual honor is bestowed by the city Cultural and Fine Arts Commission in recognition of "outstanding achievement in a chosen artistic medium including the performing, visual, musical, literary and theater arts."

Community members submit nominations for Treasure Artist and CFA commissioners select the honoree. Meier-Johnson was chosen by the commission on Jan. 27.

In nominating Meier-Johnson for Treasure Artist, Mary Marcussen and Judy Scotchmoor described her as “not only an extraordinarily fine artist,” but one who “also shares that art to serve the needs of others.”

“Giving back to the community she loves is vital to Pat and she inspires others to follow suit,” they wrote.

The Fine Arts Commission was impressed that Meier-Johnson has served as an adviser to Teen Services Sonoma on multiple projects including designing their Cowboy Cab logo and finding ways to work directly with the teens.

Also important to the Commission was Meier-Johnson’s reputation for giving back to the community – whether in submitting a 3-foot heart which featured a bright yellow sun as part of the #HeartofSonoma project or donating her artwork to help raise funds for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Meier-Johnson’s paintings have been exhibited throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and in private collections in the United States, Europe and Asia.

According to her nomination, Meier-Johnson found her passion in painting after a long marketing career in Silicon Valley. She worked as an illustrator while in college and created cartoons and graphics for the KQED Newsroom in San Francisco. “However, she did not begin to think of herself as an artist until about five years ago as she began to ramp down her high-tech PR business,” Marcussen and Scotchmoor wrote in the nomination letter. “It is hard to imagine that this artistic gift lay dormant for so long, but clearly, she has now found a niche in the art world.”

Thirty-six local artists and art supporters signed off in support of Meier-Johnson at the end of the nomination letter.

On her website, patmeierjohnson.com, the artist describes her creative process:

“My paintings seem to find me. Most of my work is based on subjects and settings that make me draw a breath and say, ‘I must paint that,’” said Meier-Johnson. “I continually look for wonder, movement, beauty and meaning in the rare as well as the commonplace.”

Currently her art is available at the Arts Guild of Sonoma, the Corner Store in Sonoma and at Made Local Marketplace in Santa Rosa, as well as her website.

The Commission plans to host a reception in Meier-Johnson’s honor at a future time.