From the shores of her remote Island Lake home, Johanna has befriended and studied a procession of Florida wildlife. She has watched the delicate balance of nature disturbed by the encroachment of man on what was once a pristine environment, and she has used her art to bring recognition to the plight of endangered species.

Realistic renditions of wildlife are created at Johanna's hands. With exacting detail she transforms a block of clay into an exciting three-dimensional sculpture.

From the sparkling eyes to the fur-like texture, Johanna's work shines with life. She has spent the last thirty years experimenting with and perfecting her art. Inspiration for her clay subjects came from her immediate surroundings -- six and a half acres in Florida on a bird sanctuary which she describes as a "pocket wilderness." Influenced by the flora and fauna in the area, Johanna began to sculpt the mushrooms around the lake in as realistic a manner as possible. This new found art form proved to be very successful as her mushrooms appeared in some 35 stores coast to coast.

By starting with mushrooms Johanna learned how to handle and paint clay. Although art has always been a lifelong interest of hers, Johanna's first career began in nursing. When her third son was born with cerebral palsy and she was needed at home, she had to find a way to make some extra money. "I learned in life that that many supposed restrictions turn out to be blessings. If it hadn't been for my son, I don't think I ever would have settled down enough to take advantage of the gifts God gave gave me with art."

Before starting work on a block of clay, "I sort of psyche myself into an animal," Johanna explains. Primary sketches are done as well as research from anatomy books, photos and observations. Johanna's nursing background proves helpful for understanding and creating the structure of her subject. Hands-on experience is gained by spending days at breeding farms and unbarred zoos. In this natural setting she observes and sketches cougars,, leopards, tigers and other wildlife.

When the sculpting begins, first she shapes the head so the size of the body can be determined and blocked in. "Then I get the feeling of what I want to do with it - it just comes to me," Johanna says. Next the bone is defined, followed by the muscle and skin. Water and a plastic covering keep the clay moist, allowing time for her to decide and work on a pose. Because the clay is kept damp, it is also possible to make changes.

"I work on a turntable and keep constantly turning, turning and turning, explains Johanna. "That's why it's important to just get your basic form first. I block it in, get my dimensions, figure out the points for the bones, where they come in and then refine it to the muscle and skin, then I have to make the base to conform to the piece to give it balance."

The sculpted clay dries for two and a half to three weeks. When it becomes leather dry, moist but not hard, the inside is taken out. Nursing training comes in handy as incisions are made in the animal and the clay is pulled out. The hollow animal is then sealed shut with clay and continues to dry. Instead of making incisions, some artists cut the entire piece in half. However, for Johanna's work, this would ruin the sense of motion in the sculpture.

Even though the sculpture is hollow, it may weigh around 25 pounds. Once dry it is set on a 20 pound shelf and loaded into a kiln. Johanna's husband handles the loading and unloading because of the strength that is needed.

Firing the clay in the kiln requires a low heat to allow the gasses inside the sculpture to escape. If this chemical change takes place on a higher setting, an explosion may result. During the firing, moisture leaves the clay causing some shrinkage. Anticipating the size reduction, Johanna places the sculpture in the kiln exactly as she wants it to look afterward. If she were to place a sculpture in the kiln sideways, an uneven shift could occur in the shrinking, distorting her original image.

The clay dries for about 12 hours before the painting begins. Knowing that animal pelts are darker at the base and lighter at the tips, Johanna paints accordingly. With each stroke of her brush the white fired clay becomes filled with hues of the animal's fur. Finishing off this process, a plasticine coat is brushed on to protect the paint and color.

One of the most noted features on Johanna's sculptures is the eyes of her animals. To give the eyes detail she may spend up to seven hours applying layer upon layer of acrylic using brushes with as few as one or two hairs. Applying a lacquer to not only the eyes but also the mouth and nose gives these areas a naturally wet appearance.

The finishing touch for the fired clay is inserting the whiskers. Here Johanna's attention to detail combines with nature's own product as she uses authentic cat whiskers on her sculptures. Since cats shed their whiskers, some of Johanna's friends have been able to save them for her use. (Winklebee has even volunteered some of his whiskers for this worthy cause.) The whiskers in the young sculpted cats come from a horse's mane, which has just the right degree of thickness for the short stubby whiskers of a young cat.

Each of Johanna's pieces reveal the artist's careful attention to realism. Intricate touches of undercutting and painting combine to form a unique sculpture which cannot be duplicated. Because Johanna feels molds restrict detail, she insists on doing only originals. Bronze is also not a consideration. "With bronze you don't get the difference in textures," she says. "You lose the detail because it is a mold and there is no paint. To me the paint brings a piece to life. The final touch - the eyes, the teeth that I do, the coloration of the deep tone at the base of the teeth up to the lighter tone - none of this is shown in bronze."

Fired clay marked with detail and shaped by Johanna's talent provides the warmth, texture and color needed to bring the animals to life. Through her art Johanna hopes to bring recognition to all animals, especially endangered species and the environmental challenges they face.

Note: Most of this bio is based on an article in Wildlife Art News - November/December '90 by Krista Henning