Brief info
Johnny Daniels, the youngest among the original 26 Florida Highwaymen artists, was born in 1954 in Quincy, Fla., and grew up in Fort Pierce. He came across the Highwaymen artists who were active in Fort Pierce during the early 1960s. Daniels initially began crafting frames for the Highwaymen's artwork, earning 50 cents per frame. He observed and learned from the more experienced painters, Alfred Hair and Livingston Roberts. According to Kelvin Hair, the son of Alfred Hair, Johnny likely started painting when he was around 13 or 14 years old. He would spend time with his father and Willie Daniels while they painted, initially starting by making frames and eventually picking up painting techniques from them.
AJ Brown, an artist known as a "2nd Generation Highwaymen," shared with the Rickie Report blog the story of how Daniels started his painting career. The term "2nd Generation Highwaymen" refers to artists who were mentored or taught by members of the original group and continue to paint in the same style. According to Brown, Daniels began painting by filling in his older brother Willie Daniel's scenes when he wasn't around. Brown mentioned that Willie was not particularly fond of his younger brother's habits. One day, Willie decided to take Johnny to the fields to pick oranges. Johnny earned enough money from this venture to buy his own art supplies and never stopped painting.