Four Oaks Design - About The Artist

Grey is my favorite Color.

I have always enjoyed drawing and bringing the paper to life with the drawings. I am a self-taught artist who has studied and I am continually studying various artists and books to create better effects with the graphite. I am striving to create better dimensions with my art and make it as realistic as possible.

After a 10 year sabbatical, I picked up the pencil in 2004. I wanted to make something of my art. My two main interests are history and art and their influence on the culture and society. I decided to use real-life situations and places to create the vision I had. Armed with a digital camera, I am always on the look for historical sights, rusted vehicles, antiquated buildings, and photographs from the past. I choose to develop my talent with graphite and hone that relationship with the past in a coordinated effort.

The illustrations of recognizable objects help to spur stories from others in the area to learn more about the history of the towns and surrounding areas. After moving to Booneville, MS, in 2004, I found that the area and the people are rich with history and the list of items to draw just stated growing larger. I started taking reference photgraphs of the area landmarks and started drawing them. I approached the Chamber of Commerce with a few that I had completed and they were interested in the purchase of some of those drawings to be printed on note cards to help raise money for a museum for the area. Again, history collides with art and vice versa.

My favorite subjects have become people and drawing portraits. I like to capture the faces in various situations and reveal them in a way that is not overtaken by color, but showing the simplicity of the expression.

I like the portability of drawing with graphite. It can be carried with me almost anywhere. This also gains the interest of the general public and provides avenues to practice more. The question has been raised, "When and how do you practice?". I find that each and every drawing is practice and I apply and progress each time.

Thank you for your time and interest,

Michael L. Johnson

		Grey is my favorite Color. I have always enjoyed drawing and bringing the paper to life with the drawings. I am a self-taught artist who has studied and I am continually studying various artists and books to create better effects with the graphite. I am striving to create better dimensions with my art and make it as realistic as possible. After a 10 year sabbatical, I picked up the pencil in 2004. I wanted to make something of my art. My two main interests are history and art and their influence on the culture and society. I decided to use real-life situations and places to create the vision I had. Armed with a digital camera, I am always on the look for historical sights, rusted vehicles, antiquated buildings, and photographs from the past. I choose to develop my talent with graphite and hone that relationship with the past in a coordinated effort. The illustrations of recognizable objects help to spur stories from others in the area to learn more about the history of the towns and surrounding areas. After moving to Booneville, MS, in 2004, I found that the area and the people are rich with history and the list of items to draw just stated growing larger. I started taking reference photgraphs of the area landmarks and started drawing them. I approached the Chamber of Commerce with a few that I had completed and they were interested in the purchase of some of those drawings to be printed on note cards to help raise money for a museum for the area. Again, history collides with art and vice versa. My favorite subjects have become people and drawing portraits. I like to capture the faces in various situations and reveal them in a way that is not overtaken by color, but showing the simplicity of the expression. I like the portability of drawing with graphite. It can be carried with me almost anywhere. This also gains the interest of the general public and provides avenues to practice more. The question has been raised, "When and how do you practice?". I find that each and every drawing is practice and I apply and progress each time. Thank you for your time and interest, Michael L. Johnson