Charlene Johnny, Coast Salish Art

03/16/2026

This past weekend I travelled up to Campbell River with my partner to attend a pole raising and potlatch hosted by Chief Udzistalis. Many of you may or may not know that I am a part of the Hunt/Henderson family. I was adopted by my aunt Marilyn, uncle Harvey and late hereditary Chief Namugwis George sr and Mary Hunt nee Henderson. All of my aunties, uncles, sisters and brothers embrace us with so much love when we travel up. I carry a name gifted by late granny Mary. I’m so blessed to be connected up and down the island, and this weekend filled me up with so much good feelings. I feel so honoured witness this work and then to be invited to get geared up and dance on the floor with my family. I am beaming and I could not be any prouder to be Hwulmuhw/Bakwam. We were welcomed in with love. We helped where we could in the kitchen. We feasted on seafood, elk and fruit. We had the time to stop in and visit Mike’s Uncle, his wife and mother in law, they ensured we were welcomed with open arms and sent us on the way with food and gifts. This weekend was more than I could have ever expected. Our bellies full of food, car full of potlatch gifts and our hearts are full of love. G̱ilakas’la to our family. We are homeward bound back to Vancouver to our kitties and back to work.

02/12/2026

Sometimes one opportunity opens a door you didn’t know you were looking for.

A backpack design led to a museum visit.
A museum visit led me back to an ancestral spindle whorl.
That journey led me back to wool.

The full reflection is now live on my website.
https://charlenejohnny.com/blogs/news

12/18/2025

Reflecting on beginning 2025 painting this mural at BC Children's and Women's Hospital. I am grateful to share my work, and special thanks to the Indigenous Health Team for allowing me to create it.
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Guardians of the Moon
Perched above the two doorways of the Indigenous Patient Navigator offices, an eagle and a raven keep watch. Their steady presence marks a space of care, transition, and quiet resilience. Between them, the moon glows, framed by orange petals and wreath of cedar boughs - symbols of renewal, healing, and the cycles of life.
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The eagle brings strength and vision, while the raven offers wisdom and transformation. Together, they stand as guardians of this space, holding the stories of those who pass beneath them.
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The presence of this art does not just enhance the aesthetics of the space; it fosters a sense of belonging and validates identity. It sends a powerful message: Indigenous voices and ways of knowing are not only welcomed but essential to the care provided. Through these culturally rooted artworks, C&W and the Indigenous Health team are advancing a vision of reconciliation in health care, one where respect, representation, and healing are intertwined and celebrated.

12/11/2025

12/10/2025

24” x 24” Sxwut’ts’uli (hummingbirds)
Available: Unframed
https://charlenejohnny.com/collections/art-print/products/sxwut-ts-uli-humminbirds

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This hummingbird spindle whorl design was created for a lantern I contributed to the Lunar Festival in 2022.

At the centre of the design is a flower surrounded by a family of four hummingbirds in motion. The number four is sacred in many teachings. It reflects the medicine wheel and its lessons, the four seasons, the four elements, and the balance between land, sky, sea, and spirit. The birds circle together as a reminder of family, continuity, and the way we move through life in relation to one another.

I’ve always loved hummingbirds. These tiny beings have shown up for me again and again as messengers. The first mural I ever painted featured hummingbirds, and on the day I submitted my application, one flew down and hovered right in front of me as I walked to class at Native Education College. In that moment, I knew the project was meant for me.

Over time, I’ve learned the sound they make and now often sense their presence before I see them as I move through the city and in nature. I’ve watched hummingbirds in gardens on Salt Spring Island through every season, even in winter, finding nectar in the snow and surviving. They are the epitome of strength, such tiny beings carrying so much power and resilience.

The stars that frame the outer edge honour our ancestors. Many of our stories tell us that our people fell from the sky at the beginning of time, and I like to think of them as still watching over us, surrounding us with guidance and protection, and connecting us to our celestial relatives.

This piece is about the connection between generations, realms, and within ourselves.

12/02/2025

24” x 24” Blue Moon
Available: Unframed on my website

https://charlenejohnny.com/products/blue-moon?_pos=1&_sid=071095b95&_ss=r

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“Once in a blue moon” is a saying that’s always stayed with me.

We use it to describe something rare and special. Something that doesn’t come around often, but when it does, it leaves an impression. This artwork is my interpretation of that feeling: a calm blue moon with a subtle crescent and quiet crater textures, watching over everything with a steady presence.

When I was a kid, I would stare out the window from the back seat of the car, looking up at the moon, amazed that no matter how fast we drove, or where we went, it followed me. Later, when I was separated from family, that same moon became a point of connection. I loved knowing you could be in two different places and still look up at the same moon and feel close to someone you miss.

The soft rays extending outward from the moon carry their own story, gentle light reaching through the darkness, guiding your way when things feel uncertain.

And, as the saying goes, this piece speaks to those moments in life that don’t happen often but matter deeply. “Once in a blue moon” reminds us that meaningful things don’t need to happen every day to be powerful. Sometimes the rare ones are the ones we hold onto the longest.

This piece carries that memory. The idea that distance doesn’t dissolve connection, and that even in the quietest or darkest moments, there’s a light that follows you and reminds you that you’re not alone.

11/26/2025

✨ I’ve decided that every few weeks, I’ll start sharing the stories behind my prints one by one. Many people ask about the meaning in my work, and I want to bring you into the process a little more. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, the first one I’ll start off with is Skw’ulwexe’ (Butterfly). This one that has stayed close to my heart. ✨

24” x 24” Skw’ulwexe’ (Butterfly)
Available: Unframed on my website

https://charlenejohnny.com/collections/art-print/products/skw-ulwexe-butterfly

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The framework of this butterfly is made from two owl faces reflecting each other. In 2013, I created a limited-edition owl print, and over time, this design has grown with me.

When I was young, I was taught to be cautious around owls. But as I got older, I kept crossing paths with them in the most unexpected places: the woods behind my school, North Van, even downtown Vancouver, outside the Bill Reid Gallery. Friends would send me owl photos, I collected owl necklaces, and they just kept showing up in my life. I didn’t fully understand why, but I knew there was something meaningful in those moments.

As I’ve grown, I’ve come to see owls less as something to fear and more as reminders to pay attention, to reflect, and to stay connected to the world around me. Life is sacred and constantly changing, and we are given many chances to look inward and grow. That’s why I transformed my original owl face into a butterfly, a symbol of change, movement, and becoming.

I see our life force as a shared energy. We reflect each other, we learn from one another, and we are constantly evolving. When we arrive in this world and when we leave, our spirit is in a state of transformation. The past looks to the future, and the future looks back at the past.

Skw’ulwexe’ carries that teaching. It’s a reminder to pause, reflect, and honour the changes you’ve moved through. It encourages you to trust your path, follow your dreams, and stay connected to your most authentic self.

Huy ch q’u for reading. Osiem. ✨

10/10/2025

someone who lives in the near my mural sent me this photo.
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I love seeing how the land shifts with the season, the colours of the leaves change, and even the way the artwork breathes differently in this time of change.
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How does fall feel where you are?

09/30/2025

In honour of the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation I have created this piece. This hat represents four days of mourning, the four days that the children in unmarked graves were not honoured with by their families and loved ones. The four days of ceremony that was taken from them as were all the other important ceremonies that residential schools took from all of us. From sunrise to sunset and on again, I honour you

Model:
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September for me is a month of reflection. When we send our children off to school to learn systems that we were never meant to succeed in, to assimilate into a society that tries to prove themselves bigger than ours. I practice walking in two worlds and teaching my daughter to do the same. Learning the colonizers game so we can make spaces for ourselves at the table while griping onto the bits and pieces of culture and tradition that remain after centuries of cultural genocide. I wear my orange shirt for most of September, not just on the 30th. I do this so I can spot my allies and safe spaces but most importantly those that are uncomfortable with my presence, strong and proud in my orange shirt, Still Here. Although the story of the orange shirt has taken on many meanings past the origin of Phyllis Webstad’s story I hope that the momentum of the orange shirt doesn’t die out. I feel seen in my orange shirt and when you wear yours I see you too 🧡