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Local Artist By Claudelle Duguay For as long as he can remember, Tuck Johnson has had dreams of becoming a professional artist. Now, at 23 years of age, the quiet, unassuming man is starting to realize his dream. "I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, and I've been selling my work professionally for about the past four or five years," he said in an interview at the Pine Tree Native Centre, where he works part-time. Born on the Six Nations Reserve, Mr. Johnson now lives in Brantford where he is taking courses at the Brant Alternative Learning Centre to obtain his Grade 12 diploma. He has been working as an artist at the Pine Tree Native Centre for the past several months through a Futures job placement. "We're very pleased with the work Tuck has done for us. He's designed numerous logos for our newsletter and letterheads, and does designs and pictures for our many programs," says Trudy Jones, the centre's executive director. "I'm just glad we have been able to provide an outlet where he can put his talents to work," she adds. A self-taught artist, Mr. Johnson remembers the first time he discovered he had artistic ability. "I was about six years old and I asked my uncle to draw a picture for me - he told me to do it myself," Mr. Johnson laughs. It was due in part to that encouragement, says Mr. Johnson, that he discovered the talent he had within. His subject matters vary from animals and portraits to drawings that reflect traditional Native themes -