
The mural is at A+ Storage on Division Street across from Yazoo Brewery.
Johnson has been painting small pieces of art for several years now, but the mural was her first big public creation.
The mural features an acoustic guitar and the Nashville skyline.
Johnson admits she was a little apprehensive in the beginning about painting the mural, but it turned out to be a great experience and she’s open to doing more in the future.
“Now that I have done my first one, I know what it entails,” she said.
Johnson, who has been at HMS for 12 years and currently teaches fifth-grade science, enlisted the help of her brother, Drew, on the project.
“He’s very artistic … I said I wasn’t going to do it unless he wanted to help me, and he was on board with it,” she said.
Johnson, a 2000 graduate of Cheatham County Central High School, started painting about four years ago when she wanted to create special gifts for a friend having a baby and for her parents at Christmas.
“I started receiving positive feedback from family and friends, and they soon wanted their own piece. It really took off and people started to commission a lot of pieces with me,” she said.
In the beginning, her work primarily featured the visual interpretation of song lyrics.
“They would give me their favorite lyrics, and I would create an image,” said Johnson, who sponsors the Art After Hours Club at HMS.
Johnson has since branched out and now creates a wide variety of handmade, vintage and creative goods.
The mural came about after the owner of A+ Storage saw her work on display at 3rd & Lindsley, where Johnson works part time.
Johnson said she is thankful for the positive feedback she’s received since painting the mural.
“My favorite thing about it is that my friends are going by it to take pictures and then showing them to me and their kids. I am humbled that they love it and want to see it,” she said.
Johnson uses social media to promote her work. To see what she’s created, search “4theloveofmusic615” online.
Johnson said she will continue to focus on her art in her spare time.
“It’s relaxing and therapeutic. After a stressful day at school, I can sit down and let it out on the canvas,” she said.