John Duplantis is a native Louisianan born and raised in Houma Louisiana located in Terrebonne Parish 60 miles southwest of New Orleans.
I started painting and drawing at a very young age (8 or 9 years old). Dolly Duplantis, my mother, is an artist and she imbued a deep appreciation for art. She helped me and encouraged me throughout my life. My father, Wayne Duplantis, and grandfathers Sidney Duplantis and Wilson Domangue Sr., provided me with outdoor experiences that have shaped my love and fascination with the beauty of Louisiana landscape and its architecture. I draw upon these experiences and the emotional attachments to them in order to recreate the experiences on canvas. Lydie Duplantis and Ella Domangue, my grandmothers, also encouraged me as a young child to paint and draw. They commissioned a lot of my childhood paintings, and collected them throughout most of my young career. This turned out to be quite a fortunate thing for me. They provided me with a retrospective oeuvre of my development as an artist dating back to my earliest works. Handed down to me, those images are now windows through which I now reflect and study my growth. My mother, father, and grandparents had a very big impact on me as an artist. All of my family has been supportive and encouraging. As a young child, I was motivated by the fact that my work was proudly displayed throughout the homes of my family.
Later in life, my partner Patrick Davis, encouraged and helped me realize my educational goals. I attended Nicholls State University in Thibodeaux Louisiana majoring in psychology and in studio fine art. Nicholls played an additional developmental role with really great teachers and artists throughout my college career. I became enthused yet again by the effects of my teachers and the art of teaching.
John Duplantis joined Fine Art America on November 4th, 2010.
