Whitesville, KY Artist Brings Country Music Artists to Life with Paper and Pencils

Cortni Johnson realized she had the ability to draw when she was a kid. Today, she still has a sketchbook that she filled up when she was just 11-years-old. It was in high school that she was introduced the art of portraits and fell in love with drawing them. She had a passion for drawing, was really good at it, but then life happened.

Cortni experienced what many of us do. She got a job, life got 'really busy' and that passion was put on the back burner. However, thanks to a twist of fate, she has rekindled her love for drawing and her immense talent for it. Cortni unexpectedly lost her job last year and didn't quite know what she was going to do. Then, some inspiration came from the people closest to her- her family.

Cornti drew a portrait of her grandparents for her mother. She said, "I remembered how much I loved it and I started drawing every day." Today, she's in the process of turning that talent into a business.

The Whitesville, KY artist is now combining her love of music and art and sharing her works with country music fans who stop by her booth at the Whitesville Mercantile. That booth- The Three Little Birds- features handmade paintings, drawings, macramés, decor & more! Those drawings, rich with detail and uncanny resemblance, recently caught my eye when I saw them shared on Facebook.

Cortni says the very first artist she drew was Hank Williams (see below). She sketched him in November of last year. After that, she started writing down names of various artists and actors. Then, she threw them in a jar and randomly picks them out one at a time. The name she pulls is the person she draws next. That jar, by the way, has about 200 names in it right now and she is taking requests to add to the mix.

Here are the some of the artists she has pulled from the jar!

DOLLY PARTON

JOHNNY CASH

SHANIA TWAIN

By the way, this portrait of Shania was the very first one that Cortni sold.

HANK WILLIAMS

VINCE GILL

MARTINA MCBRIDE

Cortni's love of music and pop culture icons extends beyond country. Here are some other names she has pulled from the jar and portraits she has available at her booth.

POST MALONE

FRANK ZAPPA

AL PACINO as "TONY MONTOYA" in SCARFACE

You can see more of Cortni's amazingly detailed work on display at the Whitesville Mercantile at 9935 West Street in Whitesville, Kentucky.

It's open Monday through Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sundays from Noon to 5.

Here's our interview with Cortni!

If you'd like to stay up-to-date on Cortni's newest artistic creations, you can follow The Three Little Birds on Facebook. By the way, if you have a name she needs to add to the jar, you can send it to her! Who knows? Your suggestion could end up on display at The Three Little Birds!

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