| by Lexi Johnson |When did you first realize you wanted to become an artist and why? I've wanted to be an artist since I was a little kid. Some misconceptions about being a professional artist and other life distractions kept me from pursuing art sooner.
How did you become a Western artist? I have had a love for the Western way of life since a very young age. It started with my dad's involvement with the Clovis Rodeo Association and going to help friends gather cattle each fall.
How did you come to choose drawing as your art form?Drawing is the foundation of all great art. I just got stuck in that phase because of my admiration for Robert "Shoofly" Shufelt and Paul Calle, who were amazing with graphite. I am, however, venturing into the world of color and have started oil painting at the suggestion of Bruce Greene, a very encouraging mentor who has really pointed me in a good direction.
How do training and showing horses blend into your art?The two really go hand in hand. The horses and cattle are such a large focus of mine that I find myself always studying movement and anatomy or how light affects their appearance at different times of day.
What is your favorite piece to date?My favorite is one I did in a Sanguine Conté crayon, which was a real challenge because the Conté, after a certain point, is nearly impossible to erase entirely, so you pretty much have to get it right the first time. It is titled Life of Leisure and features a young horse lying in the grass early in the spring.
What is some advice you wish someone had given you when first starting out? I think the first would be that it is important to draw and paint from life every day if possible. The second would be not to get caught up in what other artists are doing. Every artist's journey is his or her own, and it could be very discouraging if you are starting out and comparing your work to someone who has been doing it for 40 years.
Where can consumers find your work around Texas?The Adobe Gallery in the Stockyards carries some of my work occasionally, and Signature Image can also help with prints of some of the drawings. The best way to see what current works I have available is to email me at [email protected].
