CYNTHIA GARCIA
Sheri Johnson Lopez, an Azle resident and owner of That’s Flippin’ Smart Art, stood at the top of a ladder on the side of a building on North Stewart Street, carefully painting the original “Applehead” Buzzy — the beloved Hornet mascot — the perfect Azle green. She smiled as she painted each brushstroke while a camera crew below captured the moment for her TV show, “Painting Your Life Bold.”
EARLY LIFE
Born in Minnesota, Johnson Lopez and her family moved to Texas when she was 9 years old. The family settled in Lake Worth for about a year and a half before moving to Azle when she was in sixth grade, where she attended Azle Elementary.
Growing up in a family passionate about music, Johnson Lopez sang. She discovered her interest in visual art after taking an art class in seventh grade at Azle Junior High.
“I did this still life of a jar with paintbrushes and pencils, and I drew it. Then I brought it home to my mom, and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you look like you can just grab it.’ And so that's where it kind of was like, ‘Oh, she has a natural art talent.’ It just kind of expanded from there,” Johnson Lopez told The Azle News.
While she was in high school, she continued to take art classes and was even president of the art club. She graduated from Azle High School in 1993 and debated whether to go to college for art or music. She ultimately attended Texas Wesleyan University for art and was introduced to murals in college after being one of five artists who created a large community mural.
“I was like, ‘What? You don't have to keep to a canvas size?’ And so that's where I fell in love with it. So, I did take art in college, and then everybody said you'd be a starving artist. So, then, you know, your dreams are kind of popped, and (decided) ‘Let me go to the real world,’” Johnson Lopez said.
AFTER COLLEGE
Johnson Lopez got a job offer in Kansas City as an executive director for an assisted living facility. She spent 12 years working in restaurants, real estate and corporate jobs in Kansas City. Then she and her son, Zaydon, settled in Oklahoma City, and 11 years ago they moved back to Azle. When she moved back home as a single mother, she debated whether to go back to corporate, bartending or starting over again.
Fearful of becoming a starving artist, Johnson Lopez said God kept telling her to do it and that he was going to pave the way. Plus, she had a desire to inspire her son by following her dream of becoming an artist.
“When I decided to do art full time, he was my reason, because you can always preach to children, ‘I want you to reach for the stars.’ But then, if they don't see the parent doing it, they may not,” she said, adding that they might instead say “‘Well, my mom didn't, so why should I?’ So, he was really my inspiration, so I could live my dream as an artist, and then show him that he can live whatever dream he has,” she said.
Her son sees all the hard work Johnson Lopez puts in, the late nights, and sees her painting. She said he is her No. 1 fan and the reason behind everything.
STARTING OVER
Since returning to Azle, she has painted more than 20 murals throughout the community, including the Welcome to Azle mural located at the corner of Main Street and South Stewart Street, as well as artwork at Azle High School, Hilltop Elementary and the Azle Fire Department. She has also painted hundreds of murals across Texas and other states for companies, school districts, cities and small businesses.
Last month, she released her memoir, “That’s Flippin’ Smart To Art!: Starting Over at Age 40,” in which she shares her journey to becoming a muralist.
After becoming a top 3% ranked business professional in the art industry in America, she wondered what was next in her career.
FROM MURALS TO TV
Johnson Lopez said God put it in her heart to create a television show even though she didn’t know anything about producing one. About two years ago, she told a group of women at a networking group in Southlake she believed God wanted her to do television. One of the women told her the speakers for the group’s next meeting would be the producers of Dining Divas of Texas.
She connected with the producers of the show, but production delays eventually led Johnson Lopez to create her own show, “Painting Your Life Bold.” She said the producers encouraged her to develop a pilot episode, believing it would give her the best chance of having the show picked up by a network.
She approached Karla and Elijah Garza, who she knew through her church, Awaken Church, North Fort Worth Campus, and asked them to film the pilot episode.
“Seeing what they've done with our church and the filming and knowing their hearts, knowing them personally, … when God said, ‘You need to do it on your own,’ and I was praying, and they were the ones that came to mind. They're an amazing couple, and they have a keen eye for art (through) a different lens,” she said.
The Garzas said they were in shock when Johnson Lopez asked them to film the first episode of her TV show. Karla Garza said they felt honored to share Johnson Lopez’s story.
“I was really excited because she has already put so much thought and vision (into) it, and it was even more special that she was like, ‘I felt led by God that he told me to pick you,’ so it just felt like such right timing and so purposeful,” Garza said.
The filming of the pilot episode, titled “Coming Home,” started earlier this month. Johnson Lopez produced and scripted the first episode.
“I feel like “Painting Your Life Bold” (is) not only about murals, it's about people's lives. I want people to step out and be bold in any decisions, dreams they have, so it's not just a blank wall coming to life that's going to be ‘Wow!’ But I want people to turn it around and figure out how they can paint their life bold, meaning whatever dreams they may have, whatever situations that might be a struggle that they can make better,” she said.
COMING HOME
The pilot episode will be filmed primarily in Azle and will show her visiting all the murals she has done in the community, including the mural she is currently working on for Krystin Daniels State Farm Insurance, will feature her painting an 80 foot by 20 foot mural at the Springtown Garden Center and two murals at Azle Vision Source — one measuring 9 feet by 9 feet and the other measuring 56 feet by 19 feet.
“I thought this would be the perfect (place) because this is where I actually started my dream (in) seventh grade, going into art. It's also where I'm bringing my son, starting over at age 40, and now it's where I speak to all these other kids and (give) them a dream. It just felt right that my first episode would be about coming home, just to involve my community that's supported me this whole time, and I got a lot of murals here,” Johnson Lopez said.
