Richard Johnson Studio

There are many ways to encounter a photograph. This recent essay offers one of them.

Published in PhotoED Magazine, photographer and writer Alan Bulley reflects on 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯: 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦—𝘐𝘤𝘦 𝘏𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘵 𝘊𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 through questions of order, attention, and care.

“Order can draw attention to detail and elevate the ordinary, a love that curates and cares.”

We’re grateful for this thoughtful reading of Richard’s work, and for the space it creates to see these landscapes and the lives within them.

It is always moving to see Richard’s photographs in someone else’s space.

Each room carries its own character, and yet the work seems to settle naturally, as though it has always belonged there.

Choosing a photograph is personal. Living with it is long-term.

If you are imagining one of Richard’s images in your own home, we would be glad to speak with you about available limited-edition prints. You may explore the collection on our website or connect with us directly to begin the conversation.

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Root cellars were built to preserve what would carry a household through winter.

Richard photographed them in early spring, when the grasses still lay pressed against the rock.

Back in his studio, as he sorted and arranged the images, he noticed something he had not set out to create. The horizon lines met. One photograph flowed into the next, forming a continuous landscape.

For those new to the Root Cellars series, you can explore a selection in our highlights.

If an image resonates, we are always glad to share more. Limited-edition prints are available.

With the National Home Show now behind us, we’re thinking back on the many conversations and moments shared over the past weeks.

Thank you for taking the time to engage so thoughtfully with Richard’s work.

If a photograph stayed with you, you’re always welcome to reach out. We would be glad to continue the conversation.

We’re honoured to share that Richard Johnson: Resilience — Ice Huts and Root Cellars has received an Honourable Mention at The Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada.

The book’s design by Teresa Bubela was created with great care and sensitivity to Richard’s work, and we are thankful to Figure 1 Publishing for their collaboration in bringing the project to life.

We’re grateful for the attention the book continues to receive, and for the many people whose work made it possible.

If you are visiting the National Home Show (Homeshowsto), you are welcome to stop by the Art at Home Pavilion, booth #13. A selection of Richard’s photographs remains on view through Sunday, March 15.

Choosing a photograph is personal. Whether you are considering your first piece or adding to a collection, we are always glad to help guide the process. Our studio can also provide framed mockups so you can imagine how the work might feel in your own space.

And if you happen to see an image that resonates, you are always welcome to reach out to us directly.

We hope you’ll take a moment to stop by.

We’re pleased to share that the Richard Johnson Studio will be exhibiting at the National Home Show, March 6–15 at the Enercare Centre.

Join us at Art at Home, Booth #13, for a selection of limited-edition prints and copies of our latest book, Richard Johnson: Resilience—Ice Huts and Root Cellars.

It’s a rare opportunity to see Richard’s photographs in person: to experience their scale, detail, and presence up close.

We hope to see you there!

Homeshowsto
More details: torontohomeshows.com/

One of the things we love most about books is how they travel.

We’re happy to share that Richard Johnson: Resilience—Ice Huts and Root Cellars (2007–2021) is now available through public library systems, including the Toronto Public Library, where copies are already circulating with many holds.

Seeing the book make its way into libraries is especially meaningful to us. It means this work is accessible to everyone, and that Richard’s photographs can be discovered, revisited, and shared in new ways.

You can also find the book listed through WorldCat, which tracks library collections around the world.

Seeing Richard Johnson’s Ice Huts discussed through an architectural lens in Canadian Architect magazine feels especially fitting. The article looks closely at what Richard was always drawn to: temporary structures shaped by climate, necessity, and human ingenuity, and the intelligence embedded in how they are made.

Richard photographed these huts not as curiosities, but as architecture. Forms with purpose. Decisions made by hand. Objects that speak about place, weather, and the people who return to them each winter.

We’re grateful for this thoughtful feature and for the continued conversations around Richard’s work. It’s a reminder that even the most modest structures can hold meaning, beauty, and architectural clarity when we take the time to look.

What could water towers in Germany and root cellars in Canada possibly have in common?

At first glance, nothing. But Bernd & Hilla Becher’s typological studies heavily influenced Richard Johnson’s work. The Bechers spent decades photographing industrial structures, always in the same light, frame, and perspective.

Richard applied that same discipline to Canada’s ice huts and root cellars. Clean horizon. Consistent framing. A study that reveals both the similarities and the infinite differences.

We begin 2026 with Ice Fields Park, a lesser-known series by Richard Johnson that focuses on space, rhythm, and stillness.

Photographed in winter, these images trace subtle patterns across snow-covered landscapes. Sparse trees, frost-covered branches, and long shadows reveal a landscape shaped by time, weather, and light.

In this work, Richard invites us to slow down, to notice what emerges when we let the land speak for itself.

May the year ahead invite us all to look closely.