Aspen Art Studio, LLC, just opened two months ago on the corner of 2nd Ave. and Main Street in Polson.

Andrea Johnson displays paintings and Don Carberry shares stained-glass work in the space, which has wonderful light spilling in from floor-to-ceiling south-facing and west-facing windows.

The studio is bright, decorated for fall, and home for two personable labradors, who keep Johnson company during the morning hours.

“My husband comes and gets them in the afternoon,” Johnson said. “It’s like a parenting plan.”

With her red hair, she looks right at home with her paintings of aspens, which lent their name to the shop.

Johnson was a school principal or superintendent for much of her life. She worked at Pablo Elementary, Ronan Middle School, and Ronan High School before venturing out of the Mission Valley to other Montana towns, such as Big Sky, Townsend and Kalispell.

“I’ve always been involved in art with kids, always … I supervised art teachers, too,” she said.

As an administrator, she was “blessed with great art teachers” in her schools.

She believes schools need to make art fun and approachable for kids when they are young or they don’t feel capable of creating art when they get older.

Johnson began painting for fun after she retired from school administration.

“My art is basically inspired by nature and Montana. I like old buildings, bars, and pretty much anything in nature. I do like birds, but I do not like crows, they’re depressing,” she explained.

“Photography inspires me, too,” Johnson added. Her photographer friends share photos for reference or she’ll use one part of a photo in a painting.

Classes can help a beginning artist, and the Sandpiper Gallery and Gifts has many amazing artists who offer classes, she said.

“Everybody can start somewhere; you don’t have to be a good drawer to be a good painter,” Johnson explained.

She also found inspiration and knowledge from online artists such as Jen Vranes of Oregon, Bruce Marion of Arizona, and David Rogers of Monterey, Calif.

The three art festivals in Polson this summer — the Flathead Lake Festival of Art, the Flathead Cherry Festival and the Courthouse Art Festival – plus the Artists of Polson Studio tour depleted Johnson’s paintings so she’ll be busy with new canvases this fall and winter.

“I’ll stay open all winter because I can do classes and lessons for people and do my own paintings,” as well as commissioned pieces, she said.

Johnson recently added painting supplies to her shop. People can purchase good paints, watercolors, canvases, sketch books, and art books at Aspen Art Studio.

Asked about the challenges of working in a studio that’s also a shop, Johnson replied that she enjoys meeting new people and receiving feedback every day.

“I haven’t had a day where I wonder what I’m going to do,” Johnson said, smiling.