Jenny Johnson | Raffi “Star Trek: Picard”
“Raffi is a human, and being a human can be really, really hard. I love that she is portrayed (beautifully, I might add, by the luminous Michelle Hurd) as a complicated, multi-layered person, who defies a single definition. She is flawed, charismatic, funny, hurt, brilliant, empathic, AND bold. She is a former Starfleet officer who had the confidence, knowledge, vision, and skill to work as an equal with the legendary Jean Luc Picard, AND she is a woman who carries deep emotional trauma, who struggles with addiction. I love that Raffi is a nuanced female character of colour over the age of 50, whose role is so much more than just “mom” or “crotchety doctor.” I love that her empathy (as evidenced in the scene I chose to paint) stems from experience. She understands because she’s been there. And I love that she says so much with her face- as a portrait artist, that was the first thing that drew me to her. I am beyond excited to see what happens in the next chapter of her story.”
— Jenny Johnson
Jenny’s Bio:
Jenny R. Johnson is a Canadian artist, whose work combines influences of Realism and Impressionism, and focuses on an exploration of light and colour. She has a particular interest in capturing contemporary photographic subjects in the classical medium of oil painting.
Jenny's most recent work, Scenes from the Multiverse, is an ongoing love letter to the sci-fi and genre characters and moments that have inspired her imagination as a self-described "lifelong geek." In Scenes from the Multiverse, Jenny continues her exploration of light and colour, and endeavours to capture character and narrative in large-scale oil paintings.
Born and raised in Baddeck, on Cape Breton Island, Jenny grew up in a family of creative souls, who encouraged her interest and talent in a variety of artistic media. Her subsequent pursuit of artistic happiness led her to the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD), where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with concentrations in painting and art history.
Jenny currently maintains a studio in her home in Halifax, where she continues to develop and expand her painting practice. Her work has been featured in a number of exhibitions and galleries in Nova Scotia, and can be found in numerous private collections, in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia.