When Oxford resident Debbie Johnson had hip replacement surgery in February 2004, she began to embrace her love of the arts.
‘I couldn’t walk for six weeks, so I got out the paints,? she said.
An avid watercolor painter since childhood, Johnson took her hobby and made it grow.
And it grew into her own art debut at Margot’s Gallery & Frame in downtown Oxford this past weekend.
Johnson paints various realistic scenes, including landscapes, gardens and still life. She enjoys textures and putting a lot of detail into her work, especially landscapes depicting reflections.
From the tiny veins in a piece of foliage, to a ripple in the water, Johnson’s skill takes patience.
‘When I work on a detailed painting, it’s actually hundreds of little tiny abstracts and when you step away from it, you see the whole picture,? she said.
If you have a garden you’re proud of, she’ll even take a trip to your house to photograph your achievement, then paint it.
‘This summer it really started to take off,? she said.
Art has always been part of Johnson’s life. She said she sort of ‘fell into? graphic design after getting married and having two kids.
For over 20 years, Johnson did graphic design for various companies and created business cards and brochures from her home studio.
But now, watercolor takes up most of her time when she’s not working part-time at Oxford Electric.
Johnson starts her watercolor paintings by looking at photos she’s taken.
‘I have my camera with me all the time,? she said. ‘In order to capture the detail, I really have to see it.?
From there, she sketches a drawing and then begins adding her watercolor layer by layer. And if a wrong color is added?
‘Sometimes a mistake ends up being a happy mistake,? she said with a smile.
Some of Johnson’s paintings have taken 12 hours to create, some take days. But all of them are painted with great pride.
While she was recovering from her surgery, Johnson, cane in hand, walked to the park to take photos of a tree branch with it’s leaves clinging to it.
It became the inspiration she needed for her painting called ‘Last to Fall.?
She even incorporates a sort of collage of different landscapes to create one single painting.
But don’t plan on seeing any personal portraits. ‘It’s hard to do portraits because people expect them to look like photographs,? she said.
This past weekend was the first time Johnson had a gallery featuring her work, but she has participated in art fairs in cities like Rochester and Lexington.
One person who is an avid collector of Johnson’s work is a retired University of Michigan professor. She said he’s been following her around for the last couple of years collecting her pieces.
‘It’s kind of fun to know people will actually come to see my work,? she said. ‘I get a big kick out of it.?
Johnson said her inspiration to paint comes from many areas. She was inspired to learn watercolor from her dad, who was also an avid painter.
She attributes her great talent to her family and teachers who always encouraged her.
‘I had an art teacher in high school who was a phenomenal mentor to me,? she said. ‘It was great to have him encourage me and motivate me to keep going.?
Johnson’s watercolor paintings can range anywhere from $50 to more than $700.
She makes 200 limited edition prints of her original works which are printed with the highest quality of ink.
Johnson advises anyone interested in showing their artwork professionally to be open to other people’s advice.
‘That’s been a hard thing for me because I never had the self-confidence,? she said. ‘You’ll get some criticism, but it’s probably good.?
If you want to check out Johnson’s artwork, it will be showing at Margot’s Gallery & Frame at 5 S. Washington in downtown Oxford for the next three weeks.