As a little girl in Brady, Texas, Ebba Johnson scribbled on everything, using a pencil as her first art tool. Then, as her talent bloomed, she began to draw and soon she was creating portraits. When she discovered pastels, which she loves because they are one of the oldest art tools still in use, she found her true medium. And when she married Air Force officer George Adkins, their travels abroad unveiled a world of art that launched her career and has spanned her lifetime.

“When we were stationed in Germany, I met a painter who spoke no English and I spoke no German, but he did pastel portraits and I knew that was what I wanted to do,” she says. She visited galleries in Germany and saw a pastel portrait of a child made in the 16th century and marveled at its longevity. Today, her portraits hang in many homes and collections and perhaps a few centuries from now, they too will continue to impress and inspire budding young artists.

Ebba had a studio in Austin for 44 years, has taught drawing and painting, won numerous awards for her art, and for the past few years has guided the burgeoning art careers of many Air Force Village residents. Though she has developed macular degeneration and can no longer paint, she can still share her wisdom with others in the art studio at Air Force Village I, where she has reigned as artist-in-residence since moving to the Village in 2002.

Since the death of her husband, an Air Force pilot, in 1982, she has filled the years with art, travel, teaching and studying. Then, in 2002, she visited a friend at AFV and, she says it felt like home. “Moving here has been a wonderful experience. You can stay as busy as you want – go out, play bridge, be active,” she says. On the day we chatted with her, this lively and charming 88-year-old mother, grandmother and great-grandmother talked of the dinner dance she attended the previous evening. She loves to dance and has made many wonderful friends here.

Ebba Adkins is the kind of friend and neighbor you’ll find at Air Force Village – interesting, well-traveled, fun, and a testament to how AFV residents age with grace and joie de vivre.

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