The Current
PROFILES
PAINTINGS Continued from page 8
beds. I’d pick them. I’d smell them. When I was a kid, they were my favorite flowers, and I always think of her when I see them.” Another favorite subject of Johnson’s life and paintings is her bulldog, Phoebe Wilhelmina. Despite a busy schedule, Johnson also finds time for singing and playing a string instrument called a dulcimer as part of Micah 6:8 Ministries, a Spokane-based nonprofit with several musicians who perform songs for the terminally ill. When creating her artwork, Johnson mainly uses bright acrylic paints on canvas, or colored pencils, to create happy images. Johnson said she hears people will buy a piece based on happy memories or personal connections. She added, “So many people tell me they love this ‘Tough Chick’ because their grandma was a Rosie the Riveter, and I painted it off the Rosie the Riveter idea.” Johnson currently is launching the new “The Girl Friends” series and held her first artist show Nov. 13-14 at Hurd Mercantile in Rockford to unveil that work. The show proved popular, and the store requested to keep Johnson’s pieces on hand for sale through Christmas. Currently totaling six, the new coloredpenciled series includes “Whistling Wanda The Happy Camper,” red hair pulled up, with images of a vintage camper, fishing pole, book and camping cup woven into her locks. Others in the series are “Proud Penny,” “Frankie’s Fetish,” “Stella’s Escape,” “Gabby’s Moment,” and “Belle Remembers.” Additionally, Johnson has produced many other pieces, including an acrylic and mixed-medium “Watering Day,” with an image of a woman with a bird in her hair. Other artwork includes images of bulldogs, nature-inspired designs and women in different settings. A piece called “Be Yourself ” is an artful image of herself with her dog on a bicycle, with poppies in the background. Johnson said her art business is gaining momentum, adding, “I’m meeting other artists, and I hope by next year to do a few shows. I feel encouraged that the stores have allowed me to be included in their shops with me being so new.” She described a balance from enjoying her job as hospice nurse and creating art. “Every person you meet, you learn their life story,” Johnson said about her hospice work. “It’s end of a life, and everyone comes together. They honor that person. I’ve just met the coolest people.” “I totally know my art is an outlet for me because it can be stressful to work as a hospice nurse,” she added. “I have fun with my art.”
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