COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JUNE 21, 2017
11A
Living 50 Plus in Cottage Grove
Local artist looks to rejoin monthly Art Walk in CG
She didn’t want to be a Johnson anymore. And as an artist, Susan Johnson
wasn’t
a name that would get her noticed. So, she became Sujo.
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Her studio doubles as her home, just short of being part of historic downtown
Cottage Grove. For decades, she collected her jewelry, glass art, paintings and
pottery and lugged it all to that downtown main thoroughfare, Main St. for the monthly art walks that
take place every tourist season. And Sujo loves tourists. But that was before. Before it got to be too
much and her good health too little. Now, she hopes to take part in the tradition a little closer to home.
“I’m going to display my art right here,” she said. Here, is her studio on 9th St. Her living room is
lined with covered bridges, scenes from Madrid, stained glass windows. Nearly everything in the room
was made by her hands and everything, or nearly, is for sale.
“The kids next door are going to help me and we’re going to have a show here on the same day as
the art walk,” Sujo said.
The art walks take place the last Friday of every month starting in the spring and offer residents and
tourists alike the chance to pop into local businesses on Main St., and interact with local artists while
taking in the music of local musicians. Sujo plans to display her art for June’s Art Walk.
Sujo has been a resident of Cottage Grove her entire life with a short, 12 years break while she moved
with her husband, who was in the armed forces, from base to base. It was during her time at one of the
By Caitlyn May
bases that she took up painting again and would fi nd inspiration from the old buildings in town. Even-
tually, she settled in a job with the city of Cottage Grove but always kept her art as a hobby.
“I never made a lot of money from it,” she said. “Not here in Cottage Grove but I was happy to be
able to have a job that allowed me to continue with my art.”
Her art has taken many forms over the years. From pen and ink renderings of the city’s covered
bridges, to tissue-torn illustrations of her travels to jewelry to postcards, her talents run the spectrum.
“I’ve had to stop doing pottery with my breathing but I loved doing it. But I have enough pottery
now,” she said.
She’s done enough to fi ll her home and think about selling the majority of it during the art walk. But
there’s still more she wants to do. The Friends of the Cottage Grove Carousel have enlisted her to cre-
ate their logo and other promotional items as they prepare to raise money to bring an antique carousel
to Main St.
“When the effort fi rst started before, the horses were kept in a barn and we could go and paint them,”
Sujo said of the carousel restoration. “I understand the school has some of them now but I would like
the chance to paint another.” Two of the horses she restored are now in shops on Main St. as part of the
fundraising campaign.
SuJo’s art will be on display and available for purchase the last Friday of June at 657 N. 9th St.
Heat stroke signs to watch for as days
heat up
Summer means school's out, barbeques are starting up and community activities
have residents out and about. However, the beginning of hot temperatures also
means the risk of heat
stroke. Be on the lookout
for the following symp-
toms:
TURNING 65 AND NEED HELP WITH
1. Throbbing headache
2. Dizziness
YOUR MEDICARE CHOICES?
3. Lack of sweating
4. Red, hot, dry skin
5. Rapid heartbeat
6. Shallow breathing
7. Muscle weakness
8. Vomitting
Call Paul to
help simplify
the complicated.
541-517-7362
Paul Henrichs ~ Independent Agent
coverage4oregon@gmail.com
If you experience these
symptoms, seek medi-
cal attention right away.
Those over the age of 50
are most likley to suf-
fer from heat stroke and
should be aware of the
symptoms.