“I live in Quaker Neck, Kent County. I have lived there all my life, except [for] ten years in New Jersey. I am 75 years old. I grew up in Quaker Neck in a very rural country setting near the water. As a child, I went to segregated schools. After school, I had farming chores to do as well as collecting wood for the woodstove which my mom cooked on. My father worked on the water, and we often went crabbing, fishing, and oystering. Sometimes we would use a boat and other times we would use a seine net from the shores. I am too old to do that now. Today I do wood carving, sculpture, and painting. I have always been interested in art, even from the first grade. As I got older, I went to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and majored in Agriculture, but I quickly switched to Art. I like urban settings mostly for the arts, but my love is for the rural settings of the woods and water, both of which are a big part of my art. The country life is part of me and my art. What art piece am I most proud of? That piece is not done yet.”
Allen Johnson was interviewed and photographed by Bob Miller
Editor Note: The Chestertown Spy and RiverArts have partnered in 2016 to share the art organization’s community arts project “Humans of Kent County,” designed to celebrate the wonderful, unique folks who live and work in Kent County. Citizens are invited to interview and photograph from young to old from all corners of the county and to submit a photograph and brief story to be part of the project. It will be posted on the Spy each week and each quarter the most interesting photos and stories will be enlarged and produced for an exhibition at the RiverArts gallery in Chestertown.
susan reinsch says
Is there any please we can see Mr. Johnson’s art?
Andy Goddard says
Susan,
Unsure if any of Allen’s work is currently on exhibit, but you may reach him via email at
[email protected].
Andy Goodard
RiverArts
Fletcher R. Hall says
Congratulations on this partnership. As we humans grow older let us hope we can find pursuits and endeavors to challenge the mind
and lift the spirit. This trait can make life to continue to be interesting and stimulating.