Painting revs up her life

LEHI — Mary Ann Judd-Johnson chose the truck and camper over the 1973 Corvette when she divorced her first husband years ago.

With five young children, it seemed the practical choice.

Judd-Johnson couldn't rest, however, until she had another 1973 Corvette parked in the line of cars in front of her house.

Decades later, she got her wish. This time around, one of her high school art students painted it for her — purple with green dragons, like she'd always wanted.

In the time between owning the two cars, Judd-Johnson earned bachelor's and master's degrees in art as she raised five children and taught high school in Lehi and American Fork.

Through it all, she painted.

"I've dedicated my life to it," she said.

A collection of approximately 185 of Judd-Johnson's original paintings of historic homes and buildings in Lehi is on display at the Lehi Library on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. until July 3.

Judd-Johnson, a grandmother of 18, is there, too, offering tips to aspiring artists, greeting former students and telling the stories behind the paintings.

"I didn't know whose houses were whose," Judd-Johnson said. "I just would select houses I wanted to paint."

The Lehi historical commission has researched the histories of many of the houses and buildings in Judd-Johnson's collection, which she has worked on for about 10 years.

Many visitors have stories of their own about the paintings.

Lehi resident Robert Flygare visited the display Wednesday. The first painting in the room depicted a house owned by his grandparents and later his aunt.

"It's like going back in time," he said.

Other visitors felt the same way.

Vern Scott and his 14-year-old grandson Dylan Kesterson traded stories as they looked at the paintings.

Scott pointed to a painting of an alfalfa field blanketed in snow. Today, he said, the field is filled with homes.

A few paintings down, Dylan, a budding artist, explained the technique and materials Judd-Johnson used in the painting.

Another visitor remarked, "She does very good at automobiles."