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ARTIST AND HOME BUILDER
By Sandy Hembd
Meet a long time PBH resident,
Boulder’s 1992 “Best Visual Artist of the Year,” and designer/contractor of
four PBH houses, D.J. Donovan-Johnson, better known as Donna to her friends
and neighbors.
A multi-talented lady, Donna kind of fell into the
architect/contractor role through a set of life circumstances. I was quite
impressed with her house building talent, but Donna said, “Actually,
building a house was really interesting and not that hard to do.” Of
course, being an artistic genius helps!
In
1969 when her first husband, John, developed a very complicated form of
cancer, they decided to move from Great Falls, Montana to Boulder to be
closer to Fitzsimmons Hospital for John. Because John was in
remission, they decided to build a new home in PBH and purchased lot 203 on
North Cedar Brook Road. Unfortunately, the cancer took an aggressive
turn and thirty days after the construction paperwork was signed, John
passed away. This left Donna with five-month-old Erik and an excavated
hole in their lot. A gutsy lady, Donna decided to go ahead with the
planned home by following the
specific steps of the
building permit, utilizing hired contractors.
It was while living in the completed home that
Donna realized what a wonderful, close community PBH was, and she came to
appreciate how supportive her neighbors were of this newly widowed mother.
She reminisced about the day when two-year-old Erik decided he needed a
playmate, so toddled about a quarter of a mile up North Cedar Brook (which
was much like a goat trail then) to the neighbor’s house. Donna,
frantically searching for him at the newest excavation site, was very
relieved when the neighbor reached her to say she had Erik. Donna decided
at that point to enroll Erik in a preschool before he decided to explore the
construction sites. Interestingly enough, Erik recently graduated from CU
with a degree in Environmental Design! Donna looks back now and says, “God
had a definite hand in my life as a widow raising a small child in PBH.”
Living in the house that she and John had planned
together was, however, unsettling. She began to plan for house number two.
Loving the community of PBH made her decide on a lot at 25 Alpine Way. This
would be a house that she and Erik would “live in forever,” or so she
thought.
On the day that the carpet was delivered to this
new home, she met her current husband, Greg Johnson, and 40 days later, they
were engaged. Five months later they wee married. They lived in the house
for two years until they sold it to move to West Point with the Army. Six
years later, moving from Germany, they returned to PBH to build on one of
the two prime lots they had purchased shortly after their honeymoon.
So, in 1980, with two more children and a desire
for an art studio, Donna once again designed and became the general
contractor for her third PBH house at 2 Hawk Lane. However, it wouldn’t be
long before she felt they had outgrown the house and she began planning the
fourth and final house at 225 Bristlecone Way.
Learning from her previous experiences, Donna
designed an energy efficient house which incorporated “Heat Mirror 88” glass
windows, “R Wall” stucco and R19 insulation. Because it is such a tight
house with low heating bills and low maintenance features, the Johnsons’
home was written up in the January 21, 1990 issue of the Daily Camera.
Donna, Greg, and their two daughters Julie and Ruthie have
lived there since October 31, 1987, and love the wonderful view of the
Flatirons and the Boulder city lights.
A community minded person, Donna, along with
Jackie Rittenhouse, started the Auxiliary Arts and Crafts Fair to benefit
our volunteer Fire Department. She is also responsible, with Donna Klopf,
for starting our PBH Home Tours. These two projects have successfully
contributed financially to our Fire Department over the years and remain
today.
Donna continues to paint in her 1,000 foot studio
overlooking the valley below. She is known for her representational
watercolors and her abstract, impressionistic oils and acrylics. Her
artwork hangs in many collections including the West Point Museum,
University of Denver Law Library and many private collections. Currently
she has a watercolor exhibit at the East Boulder recreational Center.
It’s great having such a talented woman living and
contributing to our community. Thanks, Donna!
From The Pine Brook Press, Spring, 1993 |
