Art that serves others: How a Harnett County muralist is making a lasting mark in her community

By Eddie Velazquez, posted Sep 27, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com

Van Goat Studios, which has been operating since 2019, has allowed Johnson to express herself and reflect the spirit of local communities through murals. Photo provided by Elyse Johnson.

Elyse Johnson of Van Goat Studios in Dunn wants to spread her artistry and make a lasting mark in her community.

Van Goat, which has been operating since 2019, has allowed Johnson to express herself through murals and decorating electrical boxes in the urban landscapes of North Carolina. On top of traditional mural painting, Johnson offers what she calls “portable murals,” an option tailor-made for structure owners who do not want to commit to a design for their wall.

“A contractor builds a framed piece of wood, and then they can frame the ‘mural’ onto the wood, whether it’s into their building, whether it’s interior or exterior,” Johnson said.

The beginnings of Johnson’s journey into establishing Van Goat Studios reflect the teachings she wants artists to take away today: everything is a learning opportunity. When she started Van Goat, she shared it was a joint venture with a business partner.

“I mainly did that because I didn’t feel like I was ready to go and do this on my own,” Johnson said. Her business partner eventually dropped out of the project, deciding she wanted to pursue other forms of art. That is when Johnson was thrust into growing her business on her own during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I had built up my confidence enough to go out and reach new heights,” she said. “And I was probably one of the few that benefited from COVID.”

The moment presented a silver lining for Johnson. One of her first projects was a Farmers Day mural for the town of Coats.

“When COVID-19 hit, Coats was not able to hold their annual festival, so they had a little bit of savings. They decided they wanted to do something for their community without getting anyone sick,” Johnson said.

From there, word of mouth spread. Now, Johnson has an organic way of approaching projects.

“Like a lot of muralists, if I feel inspired by a building, I will just go up and talk to that building owner and tell them a mural is something they should consider,” Johnson said.

But above all, Johnson says she wants art to be accessible to everyone. Johnson said she is trying to stick to projects that benefit “the little guys.” “I’m not trying to go for a project in downtown Raleigh to get the eight-foot-tall building,” Johnson said.

“I’m not trying to go to those major cities and get those huge buildings for two reasons: one, I don’t want to go that high; two, my passion really lies with the small guys.”

But due to financial constraints and the material reality of art commerce, that requires open communication, she added.

“I don’t want to just snowball you with this huge price, and then you just shut me down because it wasn’t what you were thinking,” Johnson said. “At the same time, I am an advocate for the arts, so I’m not going to give you a $10,000 mural when you’re only going to pay $5,000.”

There is a healthy balance in explaining the artistic process and working with clients and the surrounding community, Johnson said.

“Your municipality invested this, and this is why they invested this, and this is how it’s going to help and improve your community,” she noted. “Same thing when I’m talking to a small business. You asked for me to come at you with this that is outside your budget. How do we make this still your same exact goal, but within your budget lines?”

Johnson also provides lessons to aspiring artists. She does so with a mission: how do you master the balance between being a great artist and a competent business owner?

“We still do art lessons, but I’m also going to give you business scenarios,” she noted.

One of the scenarios she has come up with for her students is a T-shirt competition.

“The kids have to think about ‘okay, I can’t just draw whatever I want on a T-shirt. I need to think about what colors Miss Elyse likes. What does Miss Elyse’s logo look like? What would Miss Elyse like?’” Johnson said. “So the design needs to be around that kind of concept.”

As Johnson looks toward the future of Van Goat Studios, she is thinking of time, longevity and succession. Johnson is a new mom, which she said has shaped how she sees the future of the studio.

“I still want my name and my business out there continuing, so that when my daughter is of age and she can be more independent, then I can be out there doing more and more,” Johnson said. “I would love to get a student to pass this on to, or an intern. I would love for this business to be passed on to the next generation and let them go.”

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