A call to art
This story was featured in the September 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art September 2015 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!
No one can be sure when their life’s calling will manifest itself. For Deborah Johnson, it was after a career in the medical field and the start of a family. With a degree in medical technology, Johnson worked in labs while raising her children, but in her early 30s, an existential dilemma prompted self-reflection and a re-evaluation of her life. “I was looking around thinking that I’m a great wife and mom, but what else am I?” says Johnson. “I thought that maybe I’d go back and study interior design. I started taking art classes and discovered that I could draw, and I absolutely loved it.”
Nearly 30 years later Johnson’s fine-art career is in full bloom, and so is her successful Art Connections Gallery in Bastrop, TX. She is inspired by architecture and the stories within each building’s façade. Her travels lead her to places imbued with history, from Italy and Russia to Charleston and New Orleans. Her representational style reflects a fascination with order and detail, but a touch of looseness permeates each piece as well. “That’s something of the left-brain aspect of me,” she says. “I want to make it real, but the flowers and the shrubbery can be a bit looser. There’s a precision and a planning in the architecture that appeals to me very much.” —Joe Kovack
Johnson’s works can be found at Art Connections Gallery, Bastrop, TX.
Featured in the September 2015 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:Southwest Art September 2015 print issue or digital download Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!
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