Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

Josie Halbrooks, 21, has been drawing and painting ever since she can remember. Now you can see her murals popping up all around Hohenwald whether it's a pair of wings at This and That Gift Shop, a record at High Forest Records or the gigantic mural honoring Lewis County at the Shop.

Halbrooks grew up in Hartselle, Alabama, with her mom and dad, Gena Powers and Keith Halbrooks. "My parents were both creative," said Halbrooks, "My mom could think of the most creative stuff and my dad could always draw."

One of the first paintings she can remember doing was with her mom where they got out a canvas, some bowls and paints, and made a piece to hang on her wall.

Halbrooks went to school at Barkley Bridge Elementary where her creativity blossomed. She took a test in the third grade that identified her as "gifted" or talented. The test was through the Gifted Education Program in Alabama whose goal is to identify gifted or talented children in academic or creative fields, and place them into more advanced classes to help foster their abilities.

It was around that time that she painted her first mural, a sunflower, for a fifth grade teacher who wanted to mark her students' height against the wall. Her talent for drawing and painting soon became clear. In middle school she began to enter contests and, to her surprise, she won. She even had one of her designs made into a t-shirt.

As her art career began to take off in Hartselle, she then had to restart as a freshman in High School when she and her mom moved to Lewis County. "I was always a quiet person growing up but that change made me extra shy," said Halbrooks, reflecting on the move.

She began to feel more confident after she took her first art class and soon realized she was already ahead of most other students in her class. Her teachers and other students soon realized that Josie could paint and paint well. It wasn't long before she started painting and drawing for people around town.

"It got a little overwhelming because I was going to school, working at Big John's, going to tennis practice and would come home to work on a piece that I had to have done that week," said Halbrooks, "It was taking a lot of my time and it was then that I started to realize I needed to take my parent's advice and get paid for it."

Once she graduated high school, Halbrooks had the chance to visit her old school. They gave her an essay Halbrooks had written when she was in the sixth grade that asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. The young Josie answered she wanted to be a singer and an artist.

"It's so crazy because I'm getting to do both of those things. I'm a worship leader at Blondy Church and painting is my job. God's amazing," Halbrooks said as a big smile ran across her face.

She then went to TCAT Hohenwald where she studied Graphic Design. Halbrooks then began to practice painting in new mediums which was anything from spraying graffiti derby cars to face painting kids and painting windows downtown for Christmas. From there everything started falling into place as she built what is now her freelance business, JH Design, where she does photography, graphic design, murals and live event art. Halbrooks has also started selling some of her smaller pieces at Promise Candles.

"My favorite thing to paint right now has been murals," said Halbrooks. "Being able to see potential in a space to completely beautify it with whatever comes to mind. I love to see everyone's first reaction, how it affects them."

The biggest mural she has done, by far, is The Shop's mural. The mural took her a total of about three weeks to complete and includes all the smaller details that make Lewis County a great place to live. It has attracted both local and out-of-town visitors. Her work has also spread to surrounding counties.

Her favorite painting she has done, however, wasn't a mural she painted for a client. Halbrooks took a break from painting for clients when the Covid shut down occurred earlier last year. She finally had time to paint for herself and just have fun. Halbrooks had purchased a big canvas from Mel's weeks earlier but never quite knew what to do with it. So the canvas patiently sat unused during quarantine until its big chance finally arose when Josie was asked to paint for a Facebook Live during Sunday worship. The worship band played a song called "So Will I" by Hillsong Worship as Josie began to paint.

"I wanted it to be genuine. So I only studied the facial features, shading and colors days before," said Halbrooks, "It was kind of like worship for me."

A young Josie Halbrooks holding a paintbrush at age two.

As the song about creation played with lyrics like "Every painted sky, A canvas of Your Grace, If creation still obeys You so will I," Josie painted the face of Jesus. Half of his face was during His crucifixion and the other was after his resurrection. "I couldn't choose between painting the crucifixion and the resurrection because they're both so powerful," said Halbrooks as she smiled, "So I chose to do both."

"That was probably my favorite painting because it was the most heartfelt piece that touched everyone, including me," said Halbrooks. "The spiritual [paintings] are my favorite because they're the most heartfelt."

The painting was hung up at Blondy Church of God for all its church members and visitors to see as they walk into the sanctuary. Every time she walks past it, she is suprised that she was able to paint it, said Halbrooks.

"Seeing any of my older paintings is like if you listen to a song, it takes you back to a certain time and you feel those feelings again," said Halbrooks, "If I see one of my paintings, it's like remembering a certain time in my life."