Southern Indiana Living - March / April 2024

aunt allowed her to paint a mural
in her nursery. After that, people
began calling her.
She also started doing Etch A
Sketch drawings as a child. “We
did not have endless supplies, so
that was a tool I could erase and use
again,” she said.
She became an expert. She
now draws detailed portraits and
copies of famous paintings — including
the Mona Lisa — on this
children’s tool. She is one of the top
five people in the world who can do
this.
She was recently offered a
group show in Las Vegas to exhibit
her Etch A Sketch drawings. People
also buy them to hang as shadow
boxes. It is another outlet for her
creative energy.
She has also been taking workshops
in plein-air painting for a few
years, with plans to make this a priority
in the future. But for now, she
has four or five murals lined up.
The next one will be on the Floyd
County Token Club Building, just
down the street from her studio. •
Pictured: A mural created by Johns in Milltown depicts
some of the main attractions of the town: canoeing on
Blue River, the local vegetation and wildlife, the old Mill,
and the shoe tree
“The amazing people of Milltown made me feel
so welcome. They would drive by and honk;
they brought me drinks. It was a heartwarming
experience — one I will never forget.”
- Carrie Johns
14 • Mar/Apr 2024 • Southern Indiana Living