Obituary of David MacRae Johnston

David M. Johnston, 82, a resident of West Orange and former longtime resident of Montclair, died on Saturday, August 6 at St. Barnabas Medical Center following a brief illness. Born in Detroit, Mr. Johnston grew up in neighboring Grosse Pointe. He earned a B.A. in Art from the University of Michigan, School of Art and Architecture. He served in the U.S. Army from 1953-55. After working in New York and summer stock as a theatrical scenic designer, he moved to Paris, France in 1963 to focus on his own art. He and his wife, Mary Lou, lived primarily in Europe until 1975 when they moved to N.J. After moving to New York in 1958, he worked extensively as a scenic designer off-Broadway and in summer stock. He met his future wife, Mary Lou, when they worked at a summer theatre in Spring Lake, N.J. Wishing to focus on his own art, Mr. Johnston moved to Paris, France in 1963. The Johnstons were married in Switzerland that year and lived primarily in Europe until 1975. Johnston’s intensely colorful, often humorous abstracts in mixed media (watercolor, wax crayon, chalk, and oil pastel) on Japanese paper or in acrylic on canvas were exhibited widely in France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, England, Japan and the U.S. He has had 41 one-man exhibitions worldwide, including shows at the Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, N.J. and St. Peter’s Church, New York. He has shown in many group exhibitions, including shows at the Slusser Gallery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. and the George Segal Gallery, Montclair State University, Montclair, N.J. Johnston’s works hang in museums and private collections in the U.S. and Europe. Mr. Johnston is survived by his wife, Mary Lou; a daughter, Diana J. Minor (Timothy); a son, Scott; two grandsons, Evan and Owen Minor; and a brother, Forman S. Johnston. In addition to his passion for visual arts and theatre, David had a special love for ice cream, music, and ballet. Memorial donations may be made to the New York City Ballet. A memorial service will be held at a later date.