By Darla McCammon    

I first met Sherri Johnson in person when I was the executive director for the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County. 

Sherri Johnson, photo provided by Darla McCammon

We had discovered a love of art and animals in common and I had arranged to take an assistant with me and visit her classroom for a creative project she was offering her students. 

The classroom was buzzing with excitement as we allowed the pets and children to get to know each other. The students used their i-pads to take photos of the sweet animals in various poses. The photos would later be used to create a painting of the chosen dog, puppy, cat or kitten. Johnson gave the students just the right amount of freedom and encouragement and I couldn’t wait to hang much of their work at our local shelter to honor the work of the students and their teacher. It was easy to see Johnson was an excellent teacher, and the students were eager to work on their projects. All were sorry to see us depart.

Johnson is an Indiana native and grew up in Akron. She graduated from Tippecanoe Valley High School and followed that with a course of study and graduation at Manchester College. She already had a great affinity for all things in creative artistry, and her education at Manchester enriched those natural abilities. She fell in love with the techniques used in creating Batik when it was introduced to her by Professor Steven Batzka.

I became curious about her technique, and she explained, “Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth. I am enthralled with the reaction of colored dyes on various textiles and especially enjoy working with vintage fabrics.” 

Johnson will be displaying some amazing work you will want to see.  She continued explaining Batik to me and said, “I enjoy adding more detail and texture to my work with hand or machine stitching. I was fortunate to spend the longest span of my 35 plus years as an art educator at Edgewood Middle School.” 

That school is where I saw her successfully interacting and encouraging budding artists in her classroom.

Johnson feels a need to create things and said, “My vast collection of creative endeavors presented themselves in a variety of ways.  Simply put, that creative urge has motivated me to do crafts, interior murals, custom art and even landscape design.  While my love of the outdoors takes me away from doing artwork, it is also a source of great inspiration.”

Johnson and her family, which includes four grandchildren, like cycling, time on the lake, travel and flower gardening for inspiration.  She laughs and informs me, “Since retirement, I have also become addicted to the game of Pickleball.” 

Johnson will have the process of Batik explained with her exhibit. For more information about Sherri Johnson, visit www.artiststouch.online or Artist’s Touch on facebook.

EVENTS:  Warsaw City Hall Sherri Johnson now through December. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fall Show opens November and December at Lakeland Art Gallery 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, 302 E. Winona Ave. Warsaw, IN 46580; phone: (574)-267-5568.  Artists wishing to exhibit may drop an email to [email protected]  Subject: Art exhibit. To find out more about the many activities and lessons to be had at Lakeland Art Gallery, please call the above phone number.