Working collaboratively with the public and community groups, Johnsey creates moments in a public environment in which he brings people together to share the experience of mark-making collaboratively. Importantly, these environments are a familiar and open space such as a high street, empty shop, or library – a place where everyone is welcome. 

His practice, which is built on a series of three basic drawing guidelines, aims to blur the boundaries between artist, participant and audience through active involvement and responsive collaboration.  

The result of this process is a giant archive of marks layered in a series of ever-changing paintings and drawings. Johnsey treats this collaborative archive as his ‘working sketchbook’, using the marks made by his collaborators as reference and inspiration that feeds his solo painting and drawing practice.