Ralph Johnson (1925–1994) was a painter, sculptor and educator whose work combined fine craftsmanship with humor, irony and experimentation. Raised on a farm near Vancouver, Washington, Johnson studied art at UC Berkeley, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. His early paintings ranged from geometric abstractions based on natural forms to recognizable subjects transformed through atmospheric color and mood. Johnson joined UC Davis in 1957, becoming one of the earliest members of the developing art department. Initially a painter, he began teaching sculpture to meet the needs of the new program—an assignment that transformed his own practice. By the 1970s, he worked primarily in sculpture, particularly wooden works based on chairs and other furniture forms. These witty, sometimes surreal objects blurred boundaries between functional objects and fine art. Johnson taught at UC Davis for more than 30 years. He exhibited in the United States and Europe and received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1978. The Manetti Shrem Museum revisited his work in its inaugural exhibition, Out Our Way, in 2016.