Georgia Magazine - June 2024 - 22

proposed colors before the work begins.
Parker has painted train scenes in
Above: Anna Parker transformed a client's block
wall into a beautiful garden shed. Right: Parker is a
full-time muralist based in Decatur.
a rail enthusiast's home and depicted
ballerina Misty Copeland in a young girl's
bedroom. She once painted dinosaurs on
a 4-year-old boy's bedroom wall.
" He was going to have his own room
for the first time, and I was concerned that
the dinosaurs were too scary, " she says.
and communities share stories, thoughts and interests on wooden panels,
sheetrock, buildings and other large surfaces.
Creating focal points
While working as an associate professor of visual arts at historic
Andrew College in Cuthbert in 2016, Johnson was approached by the
Randolph County Chamber of Commerce about leading a collaborative
effort to create public art designed to precipitate a wave of downtownrevitalization
efforts. It was Johnson's first mural project.
" We saw it as an opportunity to create something that represented the
town and the people there-to tell its history through art, " Johnson says.
" A mural can be a very beautiful historical record of a place-and more
accessible and easier to understand than reading a book. "
After that, Johnson became one of the state's go-to muralists. His
painting in Fort Valley includes nods to the region's peach industry and
Blue Bird, a school-bus manufacturer headquartered there. His mural in
Lumpkin depicts Providence Canyon, a red-headed woodpecker and
cyclists navigating local bike trails.
In 2019, Johnson received a Governor's Award for the Arts and
Humanities for his efforts to revitalize communities through large-scale
public-art murals. That same year, he completed the five-story-tall " Lady
Columbus " on the side of Heritage Tower in his hometown.
" The building was once gray and drab, but now people go out of their
way to drive by and see it-to see her, " he says.
Made to order
Anna Parker of Decatur completed her first mural-a beach-themed
cartoon scene-for a child's room in 2004. Still, she waited six more years
to quit her day job of waiting tables and pursue a career as a full-time
residential and commercial muralist.
" There's a lot of communication involved in the process sometimes, "
Parker says. " If there isn't a clear vision, we'll start with the dimensions and
layout of the room, and the client will say, 'I want something like this.' That's
at least enough for me to give a price range for the project, if not a solid
quote. "
She and her clients agree on a final rendering or sketch, price and
22 Georgia Magazine June 2024
" But three days later, his mom said: 'I can't get him
to leave his room. He stares at T. rex all the time and
wants to eat dinner in there.' "
'Paintbrush' leaves his
mark
Some believe that Johnny Washington was born
with a paintbrush in his hand. Perhaps that's how
the celebrated Glennville artist earned his nickname,
" Paintbrush. "
He grew up in Savannah and started painting
alongside his older brother, Jimmie Williams, when
he was just 14. After serving in the U.S. Army, he
moved to Glennville and began working as a
commercial artist.
For four decades, Washington, now in his 70s,
has painted and repainted murals and signs along the
Johnny " Paintbrush "
Washington captured
Bellville's past in this
mural on a local shed.
ANNA PARKER
JOE SIKES / CANOOCHEE EMC
COURTESY ANNA PARKER
Georgia Magazine - June 2024

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