Downtown Billings Association (DBA)

Downtown Billings Alliance will be hosting artist Robert Johnson. Robert’s art career started at Commercial Art School in Minnesota, and he was hired right after graduation, by the Billings Gazette. He has had multiple shows in Billings over the last 10 years.

Inspiration for his work comes from Peter Max, Roger Dean, and other 60’s pop-art surrealist’s, and a love of nature found everywhere in Montana. Lately He’s been illustrating homes,  with inspiration from Frank Lloyd Wright, and other mid-century architecture. He is one of the Artists sponsored by Rimrock Art & Frame. The medium he-uses has evolved into what he calls, “Pen & Pixel.” A method of rough, pencil sketches of the subject on a large sketch pad.  Once the sketch has taken shape. He continually refines it with tracing paper, or onion skin over the top of the art and makes black, line art drawings. He draws multiple black & white line renditions until satisfied.  Then, the final line art drawing is made with multiple width drawing pens.  Line drawings, and roughs will be on display to show the process from Pen to Pixel.

About the Downtown Billings Association (DBA): 

Nowhere identifies and unites the cultural, economic, and elemental values of a city like it’s downtown. Made up of the property owners, businesses, creatives, and leaders that populate Montana’s largest city, Downtown Billings houses multiple non-profits who each advocates to make the downtown Billings district into a vibrant and thriving place; ripe for economic and civic opportunities.

The Downtown Billings organizations do this through various community events, marketing campaigns, clean and safe programs, safety initiatives, economic development projects, and urban renewal efforts.