The five-year old, pint-sized girl with thick, brown glasses and four plaits in her hair stood amid the yelling and screaming of her seven siblings and the wailings of countless nieces and nephews and had a notion, "We need to bring some art into this house."

Even since those early days of childhood chaos, Clara K. Johnson, in her own special way, sought to make her surroundings beautiful. She often helped her late father refinish the wood work at their home and labored with him on home improvement projects throughout the city of Rochester, New York where she grew up.

Quietly and unbeknownst to her, these early artistic endeavors laid the foundation for her talents and gifts to thrive. These gifts were planted from birth, as her late maternal grandfather, Benjamin R. Harrison, was the creator of Johnson C. Smith’s mascot, "The Golden Bull," in Charlotte, North Carolina.

To those that know Clara well, it’s no real surprise that she’s now focusing her talents on canvas with oil and acrylic paints. Once again, she is using her talents to create beauty in the world as she brings art into her house and yours.