16″ X 20″ – Page 5 – Larry Johnston, Nostalgic Artist

Fire Truck

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

“The Fire Truck”

Ripley, West Virginia

While traveling around the country exhibiting at hundreds of Art shows and festivals, One of the best in the Country was the Mountain State Arts & Crafts Festival, in Ripley, West Virginia. It was rated #1 in the Country by Sunshine Artist Magazine a number of years ago.

As I returned to this show in July of each year with new paintings, I kept seeing this old fire truck just sitting out in a field. You might say that it’s days of fighting fires were over and it was put out to pasture. (Pun intended). Eventually, I stopped and took pictures of the truck and painted the acrylic painting on canvas.

Every year since, I sold quite a few prints, especially to the local residents. I was told by the property owners, that the fire truck had been used in parades since its retirement. That’s where the Stroh’s sign on the truck came from. It was put on after retirement.

Other Fire Department related paintings include: Fire Dog; Fire Station #2 Hose Reel; Miami Fire Station #6 and Cassopolis Fire Station.

Judge Roy Bean

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Judge Roy Bean

Daphne, Alabama

All my paintings, many nostalgic, have some-kind of story, or history behind them. One of many, is my painting “Judge Roy Bean”, which is a building I found, while at the Art Festival in Fairhope, Alabama.

The building, a tavern, restaurant, like none other, was located a couple of miles north in Daphne, Alabama. While at Art shows and Festivals, I would ask locals, what they had in the area that was nostalgic. I received all kinds of answers. After writing them all down, I took a tour of the area before leaving, taking photos of the places on my list. The next year, I would return with a painting from their local town, one they can identify with, so they can buy prints of the painting, or even the original painting.

Judge Roy Bean, was a famous Judge, which they named the place after. As you can see, the outside does not have much curb appeal. There were beer bottles on the bench outside, and the place looked abandoned….. I was wrong!

Inside was a bar, with a small stage and quaint places to sit. Then, you stepped down, out another door that lead into a fenced area with gazebos, volleyball courts, and yes, even a place to have concerts. I have been told that Jimmy Buffet and Alabama played there at least once. It was not unusual to see BMW’s, Cadillacs and even Limousines parked outside, when they were open. Since then, the building burned down and as far as I know, it was never rebuilt.

Lost Mountain Store

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Euharlee Covered Bridge in Spring

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Euharlee Covered Bridge (Spring)

Euharlee, Georgia

When I first moved to Georgia, I was asked to paint this covered bridge by a man that owned property next to it. I sold the original to him. I later painted the bridge for competition at a local art show and sold it to a local Bank. I sold photo prints and limited edition prints of it at art shows and festivals for many years.

I had a lady commission me to paint another view of the locally famous bridge. Since the first painting was a side view, with fall colors, she asked me to put some pink and blue in the picture to match the decor in her house. The final painting had more of a Spring look to it. It too became a popular painting in the area. Here is the painting of the Autumn view.

Below are photo print sets that I sold at many of the art festivals, when allowed.

Links to other covered bridge paintings I have done can be found here:

Mecca Covered Bridge

Neet Covered Bridge

Bridgeton Covered Bridge

Beeson Covered Bridge

Euharlee Covered Bridge

Euharlee Covered Bridge-Spring

Concord Covered Bridge

Poole’s Mill Covered Bridge

Pepsi Covered Bride

I painted several Cartersville places, and some really close by, here are the links…

Cartersville Depot

Ross Diner

Roselawn, Sam Jones Home

Euharlee Covered Bridge

Euharlee Covered Bridge in the Spring

Bob Jo’s Frozen Custard

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Bob Jo’s Frozen Custard

Wyandotte, Michigan

Bob Jo’s Frozen ice cream shop was established in 1947 and has been going strong ever since. The have all the favorite frozen desserts, including Yogurt and Frozen Custard. To keep the customers flocking in, they change their flavors of yogurt and custard once a week. We had to stop several times while in the area at 4071 Fort St., Wyandotte, MI.

I returned the following year to the Wyandotte Art Festival with prints and found that Bob Jo’s was a collectable item to the locals.

Other paintings from the area were Watkins Diner: A & W Root Beer Drive-in and Fort George Drive-in Theatre.

Miami Fire Station 6

December 30, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Fire Station #6

Miami, Florida

There was a time in my Art Festival Travels when I exhibited in many of the top shows in the country. During that time, the #1 show was Coconut Grove Arts Festival, in Florida. During that show, I sold a painting of the Fire Truck in a field, in Ripley, WV to the Fire Chief of the Miami Fire Dept. Later he contacted me to paint a painting for him of the Miami Fire Dept. as it used to look. He had a black and white photo of the station, taken years prior to then.

I painted several commission paintings in my career. This was just one of them. Another painting I sold at that show in 2003, was of the Key Biscayne Light house, which was purchased by a well-known member of the Versace family, a known name in the area and the Fashion Industry.

Norman’s Country Store

December 29, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

“Norman’s Country Store”

Cartersville, Georgia

“Normans”, is a unique country store that I painted in the 1980’s. There was a man who was a sign and antique collector, who had boxes of items just packed away. Deciding to put them on display, where he could show off his collectibles, Norman built a country store behind his home on his property. As you can see in the painting, he had signs all over the building, a gas pump, an old truck and much more.

We went inside to look at his other items, he had collected, and I was amazed to see, that he had everything you would ever need to make that a real store, right down to the cash register and pot belly stove.

I proceeded to take pictures of the inside and outside. Norman decided he wanted me to paint it on canvas, so he commissioned me to paint it.

Sadly to say, several years later, while he and the family were away, I heard that someone stole all the signs off the building and I don’t know what else, but hopefully they found out who it was. At least he has the painting to remember it by.

Tilley Park

December 29, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

I painted several Cartersville places, and some really close by, here are the links…

Cartersville Depot

Ross Diner

Roselawn, Sam Jones Home

Euharlee Covered Bridge

Euharlee Covered Bridge in the Spring

Fried Green Tomatoes Window

December 29, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Whistle Stop Cafe Window.

Juliette, Georgia

In 1927, Edward L. Williams Senior, built a General Mercantile Store in Juliette, GA. Mrs. Williams, known as “Miss Lillian” and her 5 boys and one girl helped run the store for 45 years, until it closed in 1972. The Building was then rented to a Timber Consultant, then a Real Estate Office and finally an Antique Shop.

In 1991, The building was used in the filming of the movie, “Fried Green Tomatoes”. After the completion of the film, Robert Williams joined Jerie Lynn Williams in turning the building into the “Whistle Stop Cafe’ that everyone recognized in the movie. The movie and the cafe’ brought life to the town, as movie buffs and tourists stopped by to have some fried green tomatoes.

The news traveled all over the State of Georgia about its local town, Juliette, just east of Forsyth in middle Georgia. The painting of the window was one of five that were done from buildings used in the movie. The others were the Whistle Stop Cafe, Whistle Stop Depot, Starr’s Mill and a Home in Senoia that sat across from a railroad track. The Whistle Stop Cafe’ painting was purchased by Jerie Williams, as it appeared in the movie and then commissioned another painting, as the cafe’ looked after the movie, without the gas pumps. One of the paintings hangs in the cafe’.

around the sides of the wood.

11″ x 14″Black Edge………. $148.82

11″ x 14″ White Edge………. $148.82

11″ x 14″ Wrapped Edge………. $148.82

16″ x 20″ Black Edge ………. $204.72

16″ x 20″ White Edge………. $204.72

16″ x 20″ Wrapped Edge………. $204.72

16″ x 20″ ………. $375.00 original painting on stretched canvas not available.

Weldy Amish School

December 29, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Weldy Amish School

Nappanee, Indiana

This Amish school, located just west of Nappanee, Indiana was just a small school with a couple of rooms for teaching and learning. The old brick school with the steeple bell that used to ring, calling the children to school and after recess in the school yard, which had lots of play equipment for the students to play on.

The school has been replaced by a newer school that could accommodate more students, but not before I was able to take pictures of the school and it’s outdoor equipment and, or course the old hand pump that supplied the water for the school.

I later painted one of the broken swing that had one swing too many.