Jeff Johnson obituary

My friend Jeff Johnson, who has died aged 75, was described by his fellow artist Anthony Green as “the greatest miniaturist that Britain produced in the 20th century”.

Jeff was born into a working-class family in South Shields, son of Harold, a marine engineer at the docks, and his wife, Annie (nee Wilson). Jeff attended South Shields grammar technical school, and Sunderland College of Art, where he met Serena Carr. They married in 1962 - she was his lifelong muse and appears in countless paintings and drawings, often featuring several times in a single work.