GingerTest

The Stars of Texas Juried Art Exhibit opened on Sunday, February 7th and will continue through February 19th with many talented artists from across the state offering demonstrations alongside the art exhibit.  Demonstrations scheduled for Thursday, February 11th will include Ginger Test and Betsey Cole Johnson.

Demonstrations will be presented from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on weekdays at the Depot Civic and Cultural Center in Brownwood.  Artists will show visitors how to use a variety of different media as well as share interesting techniques.

The Stars of Texas Juried Art Exhibit will continue with daily hours through February 19th at the Depot.  For more info, visit

Betsey Cole Johnson

Betsey Johnson, art teacher at the Boys & Girls Club for 16 1/2 years in Brownwood, will be demonstrating using acrylic paint and sharpies to make art.

Johnson, called by many “The Queen of Abstract”, grew up in McCamey, Texas. She started drawing very young, and began art classes at the age of 9, learning sketching, watercolors, pastels, and pen and ink.

Later, while living in Odessa, she took lessons in oil painting and dimensional Indian pottery. She was a member of the Odessa Art Association and designed wood and metal for “American Handicrafts” to display in their shop.

She moved back to McCamey and opened the Blue Moon Art Shop, where she taught classes for children and adults for 22 years, often teaching 30-50 students per week.  During that time, she was a judge for the Permian Basin Fair, where her students won many ribbons over the years. Her decorated shirts, rocks, cow skulls, and other painted items have been sold in shops in Cloudcroft, Ruidosa, and Sonora Caverns.

She moved to Brownwood in 1998. In 1999 she became the art teacher at the Boys and Girls Club and is still there. “I love teaching children because they are so fun and excited about art. There is so much talent, and we need to use it to make life better. It’s so therapeutic and rewarding,” Johnson said.

She enjoys painting on rocks, wood, saw blades, clothing, pumpkins – just about anything. She also loves to share her art with veterans; she and her students at the Boys and Girls Club decorate bags for veterans in nursing homes. They also make cards to send to the military and banners for the troops. “This really helps the kids feel special to be able to bring happiness to all these people.”