BUSINESS
Wallowa County Chieftain
A6
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Former banker now in her ‘Element’
BIZZ BUZZ
By Bill Bradshaw
Art shop opens in
former jewelry store
J
OSEPH — Leah Johnson is
now in her Element: That’s
the name of the art studio and
gift shop she opened recently in
downtown Joseph.
“I like the simplicity of the
word and the meaning — a part
of something, a part of me, part of
the community and science. I’ve
always loved the periodic table of
the elements, how it looks, how
each element is made of atoms,
specifi c parts,” she said in a pre-
pared statement. “It is a reference
to me respecting more creative and
artistic parts of myself with this
new business.”
After working for 17 years at
Community Bank in Joseph — the
past 12 as marketing manager —
the Joseph native decided to go
out on her own with her true pas-
sion: art.
“I also had been learning about
the classical elements, earth, water,
air and fi re. I’m between an earth
and a fi re sign and my artwork
uses earth (with wax, resin and
pigment) and then is fused with
fi re or heat. … So the name Ele-
ment encompasses all the reasons
I was going into the business and
combining these things together.”
Johnson’s artistic medium fi ts
well with her statement.
“I do encaustic painting and it’s
wax and resin, beeswax and tree
resin are used to make the encaus-
tic medium,” she told the Chief-
tain Thursday, May 27. “You melt
it and apply it on a fl at surface. …
You can use oil paints to paint on
your encaustic medium doing lay-
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Element owner Leah Johnson shows one of her encaustic paintings that shows a view of the Wallowa Mountains
from the Zumwalt Prairie on Thursday, May 27, 2021, in her new shop in Joseph.
ers and build up some color as you
go. … It’s really fun. You have to
fuse the layers together to make
sure they adhere to the previous
layers. You fuse it with a heat gun
or a blowtorch.”
After obtaining her college
degrees in art and painting, she and
husband, James Johnson, returned
to Wallowa County. He owns
Joseph Hardware across the street.
“When we moved back here,
it was just a great job available
and so I just stuck with (the bank)
and didn’t really give the energy
toward my creative side for quite
a while,” she said. “It was a pretty
creative job, if you’re going to be
in a bank, doing marketing is prob-
ably the most creative you can be,
but I just started feeling I needed a
career change or else I was going
to work in the bank my whole
career. I stumbled across the fact
that this portion of the building
was for rent.”
So she set up Element at 2 S.
Main St., in the former location of
Stewart Jones Designs. She opened
May 18 with a “soft opening”
posted on social media.
“Now I’m on my own and
doing it,” she said.
In addition to her own art, John-
son sells works by other local art-
ists. Some of those include pot-
tery by local farmer Terra Leven,
bronze by Shelley Curtiss, pottery
and stoneware by Jack Coelho,
woodworking by Christian Niece,
robes and skulls from the Stangel
Bison Ranch and vintage photos of
the area.
“I’m hoping to get more of
those in,” Johnson said. “Some
other people are working on things
for me.”
She also sells custom-made fur-
niture from Bilt Well in Portland,
sheep-related items, down pillows
and textiles.
Element also off ers art classes
on the encaustic medium.
“Part of the business is doing a
Friday evening workshop if peo-
ple are interested in learning and
trying their hand at some small
(encaustic) paintings,” Johnson
said.
Although she’s been open only
a short time, she’s been encour-
aged by the start.
“I had a very good fi rst week.
Had a lot of good local support and
a lot of people from out of town
just happening by,” she said. “I’ve
already rearranged things on the
wall because I sold a couple of
my paintings and one of Shelley’s
bronzes yesterday. It’s been really
good.”
Johnson is assisted part time by
daughter Haven, who also has an
artistic bent.
“A little. I do a little collage
… I am going to do some collage
cards,” Haven said.
Another local, Cailey Murray,
also is helping for the summer.
Element is open 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. seven days a week for now.
This fall or winter, after tourist sea-
son, Johnson expects she’ll cut
back her hours and take a little
vacation time.
She said her husband and her
parents, Joel and Marsha Svend-
sen, were a big help getting the
building ready for Element’s
opening.
“They helped a lot with getting
the building ready,” she said.
For more information, call
Johnson at 541-432-1911 or visit
her website at www.leahjohnso-
nart.com/Element.
———
Bill Bradshaw is a reporter for
the Wallowa County Chieftain.
Have a business tip? Contact him
at 541-398-5503 or bbradshaw@
wallowa.com.
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Joseph United
Methodist Church
Grace Lutheran
Church
3rd & Lake St. • Joseph
Pastor Cherie Dearth
Worship Online
Phone: 541-432-3102
409 West Main - Enterprise
AND In Person
For More Info
Worship
Online at
541-432-3102
JosephUMC.ORG
JosephUMC.org
SUNDAY
WORSHIP
at 9am
Pastor Cherie Dearth
Pastor John B. King Jr
phone (message): 541-426-4633
web: gracelutheranenterprise.com
Enterprise
Christian Church
St. Patrick’s
Episcopal Church
85035 Joseph Hwy • (541) 426-3449
We have ‘In-person worship” @ 9:00 am
(Guidelines observed)
Sunday School at 10:30
Parking Lot Radio/Facebook @ 9:00
100 NE 3rd St, Enterprise
NE 3rd & Main St
541-426-3439
Worship Service
Sunday 9:30am
David Bruce
Pastor, Enterprise Christian Church
Lostine
Presbyterian Church
Discussion Group 9:30 AM
Worship Service 11:00 AM
Childrens program during service
Blog: dancingforth.blogspot.com
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107 E. Main • Enterprise • 541-426-3351
www.bookloftoregon.com
Summit Church
Sundays at 9:30 am and 11 am
Sundays
at 10 am
at the Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise.
at are
the required
Cloverleaf
Hall available
in Enterprise
Masks
- but made
at the door.
Pastor: David Pendleton
541.398.0597
Hwy 82, Lostine
www.summitchurchoregon.org
Stephen Kliewer, Minister
Cloverleaf Hall • 668 NW 1st St. • Enterprise, OR 97828
Wallowa
Assembly
of God
702 West Hwy 82
Wallowa, Oregon
541-886-8445
Sunday School • 9:am
Worship Service • 10:am
Pastor Tim Barton
Visit Us on
Seventh-Day Adventist
Church & School
305 Wagner (near the Cemetery)
P.O. Box N. Enterprise, OR 97828
Church 541-426-3751
School 541-426-8339
Pastor David Ballard 503-810-9886
Worship Hour
10:30 a.m. - Noon
Christ Covenant
Church
Pastor Terry Tollefson
Church Office: 541-263-0505
Family Prayer 9:30 a.m.
Worship 10:00 a.m.
723 College Street, Lostine
Enterprise Community
Congregational Church
Join us at the
BIG BROWN CHURCH
Sunday Worship 11:00 am
Sunday Worship 11:00 am
Bible Studies:
Bible Studies:
Sundays
9:30 am &
Sundays, 9:30 am &
Thursdays, 5:30 pm
Thursdays, 5:30 pm
Led by Lay Pastor Archie Hook
301 NE First St. • Enterprise, OR
Find us on Facebook! 541.426.3044