With Arts & Entertainment Editor Kathy L. Collins
Elizabeth Johnson is a professional artist with more than 40 years of experience who creates whimsical art pieces. She calls her art Fairy Flower Festival. The art is enchanting to people both young and old.
Johnson explained, “Most of my paintings are in a series called Fairy Flower Festival. This is a combination of two of my loves: portraits and flowers. They are done in pastels or oils. The fairies vie for the May Queen title and hang a banner of their image and the flowers they grew for the other fairies to vote on.” Johnson added, “I love the challenge of coming up with a new character and selecting the flowers for her. The intricate Passion flowers were a challenge because of all fragile parts.”
Johnson considers herself a re-emerging artist. Johnson said, “I re-started my career after I retired from a federal government job in July 2015.” She has been drawing and painting since she was a child. Johnson even did the show circuit for over 20 years. She exhibited her work in state, regional, national and even international shows.
Recently, Johnson was juried into the 9th Annual Winthrop Arts Festival and Artisan Market held in Riverview. “This was my first time at the Winthrop Arts Festival. It was the only outdoor show I have done this year. I felt the festival organizers treated the artists like family and went out of their way to make the show a pleasurable experience for us,” Johnson said.
Johnson is a member of the Brandon League of Fine Arts, the Morean Arts Center and Florida Regional Artists.
Johnson is currently working on a project for the Southeastern Guide Dogs. “I am currently working on a painted fiberglass dog for Superheroes on Parade, Puppy Edition. This is a benefit. The unveiling will be held on Sunday, July 9 in Sarasota.
Johnson is also working on a series of Florida based paintings from the Maitland Art Center known for the Mayan revival architecture and the gardens at Bok Tower. These are large oil paintings.
For information, visit http://enchantingforestfaeandfauna.weebly.com.
