“Four Generations of Art” is the focus of an art exhibition hosted by the John F. Moss Library at Texas A&M University-Texarkana Jan. 10 through Feb. 24 on the third floor of the University Center, 7101 University Ave., Texarkana, Texas.
Featured artists include family members Jimmy H. DeMoss, Lisa Johnson, Kye Johnson and Olive Jane Watson.
DeMoss has been painting since 1979 when he joined Jo Morgan’s Monday night art class at Arkansas High School in Texarkana, Arkansas. Although he enjoyed art and had shown some talent in elementary school, he never pursued a further interest in painting until a new wing was built at Arkansas High in 1976. That wing housed the social studies and art departments.
A teacher at the school, DeMoss’s history classroom was across from the art department. Once, while visiting the art rooms and admiring the students’ art, Morgan asked him to come and join the Monday night adult art class. In time, he followed her recommendation and fell in love with painting.
DeMoss’s favorite medium is acrylics. His favorite type of painting is landscape. However, he enjoys painting many other subjects, including old barns, animals, birds and flowers.
He has been a bi-vocational pastor at Texarkana Reformed Baptist Church since its inception in 1978 and has participated in many local and regional art shows.
DeMoss’s daughter, Lisa Johnson, says art was always her favorite subject in school. She took art classes throughout her high school years. And she and her father took an art design class with Nancy Womack at Texarkana College in 1987.
She later joined the Monday night art class at Arkansas High School with instructor Jeannie Knod Edwards. She began painting with acrylics and showing her work in various shows in the Texarkana region.
She and her father still meet weekly to paint together in the art room at his home off Highway 2148.
The restaurant business has been in Kye Johnson’s blood since he started working at Johnny Carino’s in 2001. He was promoted to management in 2012, and his career took him to College Station, Texas, where he recently accepted a new position at a Mexican restaurant.
Kye had an interest in art from a very early age, sketching objects around the house and animals from pictures and magazines with a No. 2 pencil. He took a couple of arts classes in middle school and high school, but most of what he learned about painting was from DeMoss, his grandfather.
Kyle says he’s dabbled in watercolors some, but he is most comfortable using acrylics – his grandfather’s choice medium. It’s been several years since he picked up a brush, but he is hoping that time will allow him to continue painting in the near future.
Olive Jane Watson, DeMoss’s great-granddaughter, is four years old and has enjoyed many different forms of art for most of her life.
She began showing a love for art at around 18 months old and has continued to learn more as she has grown. Her current favorite techniques are watercolor, pencil drawings, cutting and pasting.
Olive enjoys creating pieces and giving them away as gifts. She is a member of Classical Conversations Texarkana and enjoys playing the piano, singing, dancing and gymnastics. She lives at home with her dad, mom and little sister, Lola.
The John F. Moss Library is open Mondays through Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 1-9 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
