HUNTSVILLE, Utah — Many people have that one peaceful place. It might be a beach, desert, or building, or wherever you can shut off the world for a little bit.

For J.R. Johansen, that place is a small shed behind his Huntsville home .

It’s his art studio, though sometimes, he laughs, it is his “man cave.” But it’s actually more than that.

Inside, something special often happens. Johansen does portraits and he’s good at them. Really good.

But his true gift isn’t just in his chalk work, it’s in the faces he brings back to life for families who thought they’d never see them again.

“I kind of get emotional about it because I feel like he was there,” Johansen said, talking about how he often feels when he gets deep into a portrait.

Recently, Johansen completed a painting for the family

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