Vashti Johnstone is a contemporary New Zealand painter, based on the South Island’s West Coast. She has been a student of visual language forever, formalising her innate need to artfully express and articulate with a Diploma in Painting, Aoraki Polytechnic (2001).

Vashti’s oeuvre applauds the vitality and importance of making art. Respectful of and roused by the lineage of creators who have gone before her and those who create alongside her, she has pushed her practice in energising and innovative ways, layering charcoal and paint into a colourful language that transcends beyond worlds.

In 2025, Johnstone was selected for an international artist residency at Château d’Orquevaux in France, situated in the Champagne region. The residency gathers artists and writers from across the world to work independently within a shared environment, surrounded by the historic château, its grounds, and the nearby village.

She had followed the residency for a number of years prior to her selection, and the experience provides a focused period of studio practice within a new cultural setting.

Time spent in France, along with travel through various parts of Europe including Italy, and encounters with historic architecture, sculpture, and layered cultural environments, continue to inspire her practice.