'Some of the most important work I’ve done in my life': War artist drawings raising money for Ukraine

A limited set of drawings by Canadian war artist Richard Johnson are on display at the St. Thomas More College Art Gallery (STM Gallery).

The exhibit On Guard For Thee is a collection of 40 prints from his time following the Canadian military training mission in Ukraine.

When he learned about the Russian invasion in 2022, or as he says, the Russian return, he knew he wanted to do something to help.

“I wanted to do something almost immediately,” Johnson told CTV News from his home in Scotland.

“I knew I had this work that I had done with the Canadian Forces in 2015, and I immediately started finding ways to auction the originals online.”

After gaining the interest and attention of local curator Bohdan Kordan, Johnson partnered with the Prairie Centre for the study of Ukrainian Heritage and the STM gallery.

Gallery director Linda Stark says the artwork will be sold at the end of the exhibition, and proceeds will go towards helping with the Ukrainian humanitarian effort.

“All the proceeds raised by the sale of these limited edition prints created by Richard Johnson will go to the Canada Ukraine Foundation,” said Stark.

"They will then use those resources towards surgeries and medical care for those in Ukraine.”

While she admits it’s uncommon to see pen and paper drawings in art galleries, the sketches give the viewer an intimate look that a photo or a video may not be able to capture.

“It really conveys a feeling of being there with those men and women, understanding what they were facing, and the seriousness of the mission,” she said.

For Johnson, whose work is on display at the Canadian War Museum, the drawings are a medium that brings emotional context, challenging him to experience everything the soldier does, and trying to convey that to the viewer.

“The drawings are made through my binocular vision,” said Johnson. “You get a very human aspect to the drawings. Especially If I draw well enough, which I don’t always do. But if I draw well enough to really capture someone, I think you’re getting a very human picture of what they look like and I think that transmits very easily to the viewer.”

Johnson isn’t an adrenaline junkie. Instead, he goes into dangerous places following soldiers partly as a calling and partly as a need to expose the truth and tell people what’s going on.

“It’s definitely some of the most important work I’ve done in my life,” Johnson told CTV News. “It’s definitely the stuff I look back on and I’m glad to be involved with.”

On Guard For Thee, drawings of Canadian war artist Richard Johnson are on display until December 16th at the St. Thomas More College Art Gallery.