Anthony Johnson

Creating Iconic Pieces Through Humility and Faith

story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER           photos by JOHN WOLLWERTH

It’s not every day that you talk to a 17-year-old young man who leaves you feeling inspired and encouraged. But you would feel that way if you were able to speak with Anthony Johnson any day.
Anthony has a relaxed personality. He is soft-spoken, innocent, humble, friendly. He makes you feel comfortable talking to him. It is that personality that makes Mary Thibault say that Anthony is “beyond his years.” And Mary knows Anthony well.

Anthony and his family moved to Beaufort from Akron, Ohio, in 2015 when Anthony was going into the 8th grade. His parents enrolled Anthony in Beaufort Middle School. Anthony would go to the library downtown after school to do his homework. After he finished, he would walk around downtown. Mary Thibault would be painting and sitting in the window of the gallery that she and her husband, Eric, own. Anthony would wander into the gallery to read the descriptions and bios of the pieces and to chat with Mary.

“She was always very welcoming. I was still feeling sad about moving here, so her being so nice to me was so welcoming. I really appreciated it.”

Anthony continued to visit Thibault Gallery—sometimes procrastinating on his homework—so that he could spend more time in the gallery. Somehow, Anthony never mentioned his own art, and Mary somehow never asked, even though it was something she would typically ask young people. “I wanted to show Mrs. Thibault my work, and I even wanted it in the gallery someday, but I was nervous about bringing it up because I was just a kid.”

While Anthony was “just a kid,” his talent was evident, especially to his mother. She had noticed his abilities early on in his preschool years. Anthony attended art classes at Akrona Galleries and studied visual arts at Miller South School of Performing Arts while his family was living in Akron, Ohio. Anthony continued to pursue his art after moving to Beaufort. He graduated from 8th grade and moved from Beaufort Middle to Battery Creek High School. “I obviously couldn’t walk downtown anymore, but I would still visit Mrs. Thibault as often as I could.” Anthony’s parents would drop him off downtown to say hi whenever they were in the area. But even two years in, the topic of Anthony’s art still never came up.

In 10th grade, Anthony started attending Whale Branch Early College High School. His visual arts teacher, Michael Arnett, started teaching Anthony about a new kind of art, using pen, Sharpie, and words. Anthony adopted the technique and put his twist on it, using layers upon layers of words and squiggly lines. “It’s really about how I feel when I’m drawing … and not just repetitive words,” Anthony says. He calls his work “journal art.” Anthony’s first piece using this new technique was of his first friend when he moved to Beaufort—violinist and photographer Michael Houston.

At the beginning of 2019, Anthony and his younger sister were paying a visit to Mary and the Thibault Gallery. After chatting with Mary for a while, Anthony’s sister gave him a little shove and said, “Show her your art.” Anthony pulled out his cell phone and showed Mary his Marilyn Monroe piece. “I was shocked … his talent was so far beyond that of a typical 16-year-old.”

Mary asked Anthony to come back to the gallery and bring his parents and more of his work for a meeting. They exchanged numbers and arranged a meeting for a week later. “I remember his grandmother saying, ‘I knew he was talented,'” Mary laughs. She told Anthony and his family that she and her husband wanted to put some of Anthony’s pieces in the gallery for the upcoming Art Walk and First Friday events on April 5, 2019. She told Anthony that they would like for him to create a Pat Conroy piece for that night. “I didn’t even know who Pat Conroy was at the time,” Anthony said. “Mrs. Thibault told me to read ‘The Water Is Wide’ to learn about him, and while I read it, I created my piece. It was a summary of Pat Conroy’s life.”

Anthony had three pieces in the gallery during Art walk— Pat Conroy, Marilyn Monroe, and Redd Fox. Marilyn sold first.

“People really love Marilyn Monroe,” Anthony said, laughing. Pat Conroy was purchased next by Jonathan Haupt of the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Redd Fox sold, too.

“That was the first time I thought, ‘I could do this.’ Before that, I wanted to be an artist, but I didn’t think it was possible.” Anthony had been trying to convince himself that he wanted to be a nurse and pursue his art as a hobby. When he sold those three pieces, it was a huge confidence boost. He quit his job at a local restaurant and started focusing solely on his art.

Anthony has created pieces of Martin Luther King Jr., Lupita Nyong’o, John Lennon, Kobe Bryant, and many more. “I look for icons that people look up to. I want people to see me and know who I am and what I feel through my work. It’s therapeutic.” He will also create pieces based on requests. He tries to choose people that will make you think as you look at this work.

Anthony’s pieces are in high demand. He has collectors of his work on an email list through the gallery, and they snatch up his pieces as soon as they are available. “The public doesn’t get much of a chance at Anthony’s work,” Mary says. “And it’s not surprising. The caliber of his work is on the same level as artists with 20 to 30 years of experience.”

One of Anthony’s most striking qualities is his humility. He doesn’t brag or boast about his work and talent. He gives credit to his parents, Anthony and Charlene, for their incredible support of him and his work. “My dad is always trying to take pictures of my work and post it. I have to remind him to let me watermark it first!”

Anthony recently graduated from Whale Branch Early College High School. He is planning to attend the Technical College of the Lowcountry in the fall to take advantage of the EMT and Firefighter program they offer. “It’s my backup plan. Just in case the art thing doesn’t work out.”

Other than that, Anthony’s future goals include learning Spanish (which he’s already started) and Spanish Sign Language. He also wants to become a contemporary photographer and artist for events (such as weddings), fashion, and magazines. His big dream is to be a photographer for Vanity Fair. While Anthony says it’s a nearly impossible dream … there’s no doubt he can make it there.

“My ultimate goal is to keep my relationship with God first. Without Him, I would never have made it to this point. It makes sense to keep Him in mind, you know?”

Mary Thibault says that faith and humility will take Anthony to a big city one day—maybe New York City or Chicago. She laughs, continuing, “And we tell Anthony to make sure he doesn’t forget us when he gets there.”