9″ X 12″ – Page 5 – Larry Johnston, Nostalgic Artist

Brown Barn Texaco

January 1, 2015February 22, 2021 Admin

Brown Barn Texaco

Cartersville, Georgia

There was a time when I enjoyed painting pictures of old fallen down barns. While living in Cartersville, Georgia, I was driving down Sugar Valley Road, when I saw a farm-house, with a barn and a gas pump near it, so I took some photographs of it. I eventually painted the picture and found that people wanted more pictures of gas pumps, so I eventually painted other pumps, like Shell, Gulf, Sinclair, American, Marathon and of course several Texaco pumps. We called this one “Brown Barn Texaco” since I later painted one with a red barn in the paining. We called it “Red Barn Texaco”, of course.

During one of the art festivals, a young couple purchased the painting, which was a 9″ x 12″ canvas acrylic painting. They had a pick-up truck that they had restored and wanted me to paint the truck in this painting. Instead of adding to the painting, we agreed that a second painting would be done as a continuation of this painting, to hang next to this one. (Restored Truck painting)

Bonnie Doon Ice Cream 4th Street 1940’s

January 1, 2015February 22, 2021 Admin

Bonnie Doon Ice Cream,

Mishawaka, IN

In 1938 Bonnie Doon Ice Cream was established and eventually grew into a local chain of drive-in Ice Cream shops and restaurants. The first business was located on 4th Street, in Mishawaka, Indiana.

I had painted one of the other Bonnie Doon drive-ins, located on S. Michigan St, in South Bend, IN and the painting was on display at local Art show, when a couple approached me to paint the 4th Street Ice Cream Shop. They used to date when they were young and that was their favorite date place. I painted the building as it looked at that time, putting their Studebaker in the painting.

The building was also the factory for making the ice cream for the other stores. It now sits empty, as the store closed a couple of years ago. Only one store remains, which was purchased several years ago. Bonnie Doon eventually entered the local retail market with a variety of flavors.

Here the other Bonnie Doon paintings I have painted: Bonnie Doon, US-31 North, South Bend; Bonnie Doon, S. Michigan St., South Bend; Bonnie Doon on Lincolnway West in Mishawaka; Bonnie Doon on 4th St. Mishawaka in the 1950s.

Red Barn Texaco

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Red Barn, Texaco

Cartersville, Georgia

After I had painted the Texaco pump with the brown barn in the background, I called it brown Barn Texaco. This painting was similar, but needed some more color to the painting, so I added the Red barn. It was one of several different brands that I eventually painted. Gas pumps became quite a collection subject, for people that made a habit of buying my work.

My prints were available to buy in a 5″ x 7″ and 11″ x 14″, including a mat around the print. I even made barn-wood frames for a while, then switched to a variety of frame colors: black, Burgundy, forest green and colonial blue. .Now I offer the prints on stretched canvas, to make it look like the original.

Buckeye Store

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Buckeye Confectionery

Phoenix, Arizona

Ohio is known as the Buckeye State, as most of us know. While exhibiting at an art show in Wyandotte, Michigan, not too far from the Ohio – Michigan state line, the show draws people from Ohio and Indiana, as well as Michigan.

A couple from Ohio saw my display and was interested in having a painting done from an old black and white photograph of their great grandfather’s store, that he opened after leaving Ohio many years ago. The store was located in Phoenix, Arizona at 2120 Buckeye Road. I have no idea where the connection is, as far as the town of Buckeye and their great grandfather. At the time I wasn’t familiar with the town of Buckeye, but thought it was interesting, that the street had the same name as the store, (almost).

It’s exciting to meet people and their history and then to become part of it, to be passed down through their future family.

Sinclair Gas Pump

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Sinclair Gas Pump

North Georgia

After painting a few different gas pump paintings, I started getting requests for different brands. One of those brands was Sinclair, as many people worked for Sinclair during their youth, pumping gas, some being their first job. I sold 5 x 7 prints of my paintings, so there were many gas pumps that were just the right size.

The painting was a typical setting for the era of that style pump. The surroundings I chose, was in north Georgia at a typical general store. After painting four or more different pumps, I started selling a four-print set of gas pumps. Other paintings of gas pumps I have painted are: Shell, Texaco, Mobile, Marathon and Gulf.

Crown Point Carnegie Library

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Carnegie Library,

Crown point, Indiana

During my years on the road exhibiting at Art Shows and Festivals, Crown Point, Indiana was a regular on my tour, as it was held on the Court House lawn in the center of town.

The library, built in 1908 was located at 223 S. Main Street, just one block from the center of the town, from the Court house. With the expansion of the library, it now extends all the way to Court Street. The original part of the building is now being used as office space for the Crown Point Community Library.

The Carnegie Library was one of four paintings from Crown Point, that I painted. The others were the Lake County Court House; the Criminal Justice Building and the former Lake County Jail.

Crown Point Jail

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Crown Point Jail

Made famous by John Dillinger.

While exhibiting at a number of art festivals on the Court house lawn in Crown Point, Indiana, I found that one of the local landmarks, was the old jail across the street. I eventually created a painting of the jail, one of four from Crown Point.

John Dillinger, during a bank robbery in Chicago shot and killed a police officer and was captured in Tucson, Arizona and taken to the Lake County Jail, in Crown Point, Indiana. Early morning, on March 3, 1934, Dillinger had carved a gun either from a bar of soap, or a wooden washboard, (Local legend varies), covering it with black shoe polish. Using it in his escape, an automatic gun was taken from a jail guard, as he made his escape.

On July 23, 1934, Dillinger was shot and killed by the FBI outside the Biograph Theater, in Chicago.

The painting became quite a conversation piece.

Other Crown Point paintings are: Carnegie Library, Lake County Court house and The Criminal Justice Building.

Crown Point Court House

December 31, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Lake County Courthouse,

Crown Point, Indiana

Among many of the art shows and festival I attended since 1978, one of many local shows took place on the lawn of the Lake County Courthouse in Crown Point, Indiana. Since I attended the show for several years, I painted several local places. Of course, the first painting had to be the Courthouse.

The Courthouse was unique, with 3 towers, the middle being the clock tower. Built in 1878, it was referred to as “The Grand Old Lady”. It was a combination of Romanesque and Georgian architectural styles.

Now, retired from County Government, the building now houses the Historical Museum along with shops that attract tourists, shoppers and other visitors.

Other Crown Point paintings are: Carnegie Library, Criminal Justice Building and the Lake County Jail, made famous by John Dillinger.

Milk Silo

December 30, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

The Milk Silo

Woodland, IN

It was just a grain silo. We called it the “Milk Silo” because of the advertisement painted on the side.

Just south of Mishawaka, Indiana on Hwy 131, north of Bremen, there are 2 small towns. Wyatt, is about one block long with no traffic lights, but they do have a Post office. Just north of that, is the town of Woodland, with a store that has been empty for years. The only way you know it’s a town, is because of small sign that says “Wooland”.

Woodland is significant to me, because of the cement grain silo that sat in the yard of an old farm house

When first starting out exhibiting in Art Festivals, I stayed close to home, which at the time was South Bend, Indiana, next door to Mishawaka. After I took pictures of the silo, it was just a few months, when they removed it. Since I had already taken pictures of it, I decided to put it on canvas.

It didn’t take long before the painting sold, and many prints after that. Even members of the family, who owned the property, bought prints of the milk silo. Another instant nostalgic memory that I was able to capture just in time!

Oak Hill Apple Orchard Roadside Stand

December 30, 2014February 22, 2021 Admin

Oak Hill Orchards Roadside Stand

Ellijay, Georgia

During the mid1980s, while driving in the north Georgia mountains, looking for subject matter for future paintings, I found a roadside stand specializing in Apples, which the area was famous for in north Georgia. I painted the painting a short time later, in 1986.

It was on Highway 52, near Ellijay, Georgia, called Oak Hill Orchards. the painting was a 9 x 12 acrylic painting canvas.