Fall Into Arts: Tom Johnson offers advice to budding artists

Fall Into Arts Festival is just around the corner and local artists are beginning to preparing their exhibits and put the finishing touches on their work. Tom Johnson, a member of the Cotton Boll Artist League and also the newest board member of KAFTA, is once such person.

Johnson is originally from Farmington but has been a resident of Kennett for the last 17 years. He works for Frito Lay and has a route between Kennett and Hayti. While attending the College of Ozarks in Branson,where he received his degree in business and marketing, Johnson met his wife Beth. The couple have been married for 17 years and have two sons.

Johnson began painting about five years ago. "My wife's grandmother is a fabulous china painter and my aunt, Judy Smith, is an accomplished artist," Johnson said. They were the inspiration behind his decision to begin to paint. "I had the general idea in my mind of what I wanted to paint for my first painting. It was a simple mountain scene. My wife and I went to Hobby Lobby and purchased a starter paint kit and canvas. Everyone seemed pretty pleased with the result."

Johnson will have a some his artwork in this year's Fall Into Arts Show like he has the previous three years. He prices his pieces according to size and how many hours of work that goes into them. They range from between $50 to $250. He also has some of his work for sale at The Byrd's Nest.

As a new artist Johnson, knows what it is like to just jump into something with no previous experience or background. He offers this advice to budding artists: "Don't try and copy someone else. Put your own spin on everything. Talk to other artists and don't be afraid to try new techniques."

Johnson advised for community members interested in the line-up of activities for the Fall Into Arts Festival to visit the website www.kafta.org. The festival is Sept. 11-13.