Shelly Johnson
One of my hobbies is construction.
Trowel in hand, this is a photo of me in the process of tiling our fire place.
The tiles originally embellished the old Upjohn fountain in Kalamazoo. Old-world craftsmen created each tile by first fusing light blue hand-made glass, and then adhering gold leaf (YES! Real gold!!) to the back. The finished product is a beautiful green tile.
I appreciate unique qualities in architecture and this fireplace turned out to be quite a gem!
One of my hobbies is construction.
Trowel in hand, this is a photo of me in the process of tiling our fire place.
The tiles originally embellished the old Upjohn fountain in Kalamazoo. Old-world craftsmen created each tile by first fusing light blue hand-made glass, and then adhering gold leaf (YES! Real gold!!) to the back. The finished product is a beautiful green tile.
I appreciate unique qualities in architecture and this fireplace turned out to be quite a gem!
Welcome to my page!
My name is Shelly Johnson and it is my honor to say that this will be my 13th year as the art instructor at Ross Beatty Jr./Sr. High School.
I grew up on a Blueberry farm in Portage. After graduating from Portage Central High School, I moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to pursue an art career in Illustration. There, my husband and I raised our three amazing daughters.
As the girls grew up and moved on to explore the possibilities in their own lives, I realized I needed to reinvent myself. At that point I decided to merge my two loves ... art and teenagers.
I went back to Kendall College of Art & Design to earn a Bachelor's degree in Art Education, and again for my Master's degree in Art Education.
Here I am ...
... and can honestly say I love coming to work
EVERY DAY!
I'm the little field mouse in the middle.
My name is Shelly Johnson and it is my honor to say that this will be my 13th year as the art instructor at Ross Beatty Jr./Sr. High School.
I grew up on a Blueberry farm in Portage. After graduating from Portage Central High School, I moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to pursue an art career in Illustration. There, my husband and I raised our three amazing daughters.
As the girls grew up and moved on to explore the possibilities in their own lives, I realized I needed to reinvent myself. At that point I decided to merge my two loves ... art and teenagers.
I went back to Kendall College of Art & Design to earn a Bachelor's degree in Art Education, and again for my Master's degree in Art Education.
Here I am ...
... and can honestly say I love coming to work
EVERY DAY!
I'm the little field mouse in the middle.
Teaching Philosophy
"It is my goal to enrich lives - by accepting, educating, and challenging each student as an individual."
Drawing
Drawing is art that anyone can do, and learn to do well with practice. A sketch pad and pencil are portable. I draw during vacations and when I need to "think out loud". I use drawing to learn how something works, or really looks.
for instance, a person can see their own hand every day , but not really understand what it looks like until they take the time to draw it.
Below is a sampling of my drawings. Some are quick references, some are stories from my imagination. Some are realistic, while others are simple line drawings. Some are memories, and some were made when a photo just wasn't enough. What they have in common is that they are all found in my sketchbooks.
for instance, a person can see their own hand every day , but not really understand what it looks like until they take the time to draw it.
Below is a sampling of my drawings. Some are quick references, some are stories from my imagination. Some are realistic, while others are simple line drawings. Some are memories, and some were made when a photo just wasn't enough. What they have in common is that they are all found in my sketchbooks.
Below are sketches that describe what I mean by "thinking out loud".
I was imagining the Kentucky Raid.
What would one see if they looked across a dark field in 1847 to see Sheriff Graves and his bounty hunters sneaking into Cass County?
How did the freed and self-emancipated slaves escape cabins to warn others of the danger?
Who got together to sink one of the raider's wagons into Birch Lake?
What did the bounty hunter's feel like after being surrounded by hundreds of angry Cass County residents?
I was imagining the Kentucky Raid.
What would one see if they looked across a dark field in 1847 to see Sheriff Graves and his bounty hunters sneaking into Cass County?
How did the freed and self-emancipated slaves escape cabins to warn others of the danger?
Who got together to sink one of the raider's wagons into Birch Lake?
What did the bounty hunter's feel like after being surrounded by hundreds of angry Cass County residents?
Thank you for viewing my page. Enjoy the school year!