Rob C. Johns, Canadian

Oil Painter | Forest Ecologist

Artist Biography

Rob is an oil painter based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, whose work explores the “third culture” where his dual expertise as visual artist and professional ecologist intertwine to reveal perspectives unavailable to either domain alone.

In 2021, Rob returned to a lifelong interest in art, initially creating digital illustrations for his scientific publications before discovering oil painting as his primary medium. Since then, he has participated in the ArtsLinkNB Catapult program, completed artist residencies with the Fredericton Regional Museum and New Brunswick Museum’s BiotaNB program, and exhibited in numerous group shows. He has been the top seller at the five most recent Capital Art Sales in Fredericton and is preparing for a solo exhibition in May 2027, titled “The Precarious Lives of Insects” at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre.

As a Forest Insect Ecologist with the Canadian Forest Service, Rob has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, received the national C. Gordon Hewitt Award for outstanding contributions to entomology, and currently serves as President of the Entomological Society of Canada. This scientific foundation brings decades of field observation to his artistic practice, and underpins his exploration of the precarity and resilience shaping Canada’s ecosystems. 

Rob is a member of ArtsLink NB, CARFAC, and COVA.