By 1915, he had settled in the San Francisco area where he attended A. W. Best School of Art and the California School of Fine Arts.

Johnson’s work bears the influence—the simplification, abstraction, density, monumental feel, of figurative forms that was perhaps inspired by Beniamino Bufano, whom he worked with for several years. Johnson, however, is said to have overtly courted the indulgence of art patrons while Bufano’s uncompromising, politicized stance, rebuffed singular interests and control. “Rather than produce art to fit over some patron's fireplace, he invoked a notion of public art that is created for the benefit of the masses.”

Johnson won numerous awards for his work as a participant in the Harmon Foundation’s exhibitions. During the1930s, he experimented with a variety of mediums and created African inspired images. As a W.P.A. Federal Art Project artist, he created a first large wooden relief that for the California School of the Blind in Berkeley and other large scale images such as the "Happy Incas playing the Piper of Pan," for the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco in 1939

Johnson’s work, particularly 1930s public art projects, that he created for the New Deal, reflects the influence of Mexican muralism. Reportedly a Communist, who was also influenced by Cubism and West African forms and techniques, Johnson’s 1950s and 1960s images--many cast stone and terra cotta, incorporate other stylistic overtures as well.

Johnson spent the majority of his career on the west coast. However, his philosophical tendencies are at times affiliated with Harlem Renaissance artists who participated in Harmon Foundation exhibitions. A major component of Johnson’s legacy, is that he is said to have been the first African American artist on the West Coast to achieve national acclaim