Lee Johnson
Artist
Lee is originally from Oregon  and husband Bill hails from
Philadelphia, but between his work and their many varied interests,
they have lived all over.  They have both worked for large
corporations, owned and operated a real estate brokerage, and
started the League of Maryland Craftsmen shop in Annapolis,
Maryland.  
Living aboard and cruising their trawler "Frolic", they sailed from
Annapolis and dropped anchor in Florida, where they started the
League of Florida Craftsmen Gallery in Hobe Sound, Florida.  They  
featured both their artwork and that of 47 local artists, who created
pottery, fine paintings, turned wooden bowls, glass, jewelry and
other wonderful works of art.    
Deciding that Florida was too warm for them, they decided to explore
areas in the north. They fell in love with the Georgian mountains
after leaving Florida.  They now reside in Tiger,  Georgia and
operate Lee Johnson Gallery on South Main Street in Clayton.  
There are more than 50 local artists in the Gallery.         
So it was that with the convergence of Rabun County and Lee’s
expanding art skills,  Lee began to pour herself into her work with
renewed determination.  “I can’t sit still,” she explains with the warm
laugh that is her trademark. “I’ve got to be doing something with my
hands.”  
Lately her hands have been occupied with perfecting the art of
painting, including use of a pallet. And in the process, she’s learned
that her great grandfather, a Methodist missionary to India, and her
grandmother, were both painters.  It’s a source of encouragement
for Lee that the artistic gene is in her background.
She did confess that she’s a novice golfer and that she’s finding a
different kind of satisfaction in that as well.  In the meantime, she
continues pursuing projects that strike her fancy and accepting
commissions as her customers request.
For Lee, the satisfaction comes from the journey between idea and
finished product, from newfound talent and newly-learned skills to
mastered abilities.  After all, the inspiration behind Lee Johnson
Gallery is one amazingly-complex artist who is constantly moving in
some direction
Lee holds an oil painting, which she gleaned
from a photograph she took while visiting her
brother, Bob, in Bend Oregon.  The horses
were life-sized steel sculptures running in a
pasture, with the Sisters Mountains as a
backdrop.  Really an amazing site.
Thankfully, her husband Bill
encourages and supports her passion.