John Boussu Artist Reception

Local artist John Boussu will present his art at the library during the month of October. A reception with the artist is planned for Wednesday, October 1 at 5 p.m.

John Boussu was born in Aberdeen,  SD and spent his childhood in different places in SD.  He graduated from high school in Mobridge.  Later in life, he completed bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and psychology.  

After high school graduation, John moved with his family to Ann Arbor, SD where he worked as a welder for General Motors for two years prior to enlisting in the US Air Force.  He was assigned to the Strategic Air Command.  Following his military service his work took him to many different places including AZ and ID.  

His work brought him to Lusk in 1983.  He and his wife Carmen (Gunn) were married in 1984.  John has 6 children and 8 grandchildren.  

John only took one art class at Scottsdale community college.  He is largely self-taught, having  consulted and studied many different books for information on artistic technique.  His experimentation and trial and error has been a crucial part of his artistic success.  

John’s favorite medium, by far, is graphite.  He has experimented with colored pencil, ceramics, and acrylic paint also.  He made his first graphite drawing in his twenties, and he didn’t start drawing again for over 30 years.   

His subject matter often consists of two of his favorite things, animals and family members.  His portraits often showcase very young faces, and very old ones.  He has gifted many family members with portraits of themselves and he has been generous in gifting pieces of his art to others.