Born in Missoula, Montana, in 1976 to Margaret (Flying) and Algie Piapot, and currently living in Harlem, MT,Duane Piapot only recently took up painting in December of 2018. Regardless of the time lapse, his profession as an artist was likely destined to happen since painting runs in his family's blood. Piapot's Chippewa/Cree father was a professional artist himself. His first piece to be offered at auction in 2012 at O'Gallerie was "Through the Snowstorm, Native Americans on Horseback Guided Back to Camp."

Even though Piapot picked up ideas over the years from his father, he is trying to carve out his own style with his art. Focusing mostly on creating landscapes and galaxies-sometimes in a surrealistic style-Piapot works in both oils and acrylics. "I usually block with acrylics and use oils for detail. Oils take longer to dry, but they're way easier to blend," Piapot explained.

For Piapot, art is a way to have fun, pass time, and relax. He was motivated to pursue art as a career path when he discovered he was suffering from boredom. "Art helps relieve stress. It's also intriguing, since each piece takes on a life of its own."

Beyond his father's influence and his own creative imagination, Piapot brings no formal training to his art. "It's all self-taught. I look at photographs, the work of other artists, and even take inspiration from nature. I might observe clouds, for example, or watch how grass blows in the wind. I don't want to necessarily imitate others, but I do look at the art of other artists. When I study my dad's artwork, I say to myself-'I want to be that good.'" Piapot's father passed away in 2017.

Piapot also studies the works of artists Chuck Black and Michael James Smith. From them and their YouTube channels, he derives style and detail tips. Currently a resident of Bozeman, Montana, Black calls himself a "wildlife conservationist at heart" with a passion for everything outdoors. Like Piapot, he uses art to express a connection to the natural world.

Similarly, Smith, who lives in England, is a landscape artist and realistic painter who was also inspired to paint by his father. Besides tutorials offered on YouTube, Smith gives online painting lessons.

Despite obtaining an influence from these sources, Piapot applies his own talent and paints what he envisions. "I create out of my own heart," he said.

When asked what about making art has been most surprising, Piapot responded: "How quickly time passes when I'm working. When I first started painting, I practically stayed up all week. What seems like fifteen minutes might actually be five hours."

The challenges come while Piapot is trying to make everything blend and come together. "Sometimes what I have in my mind, just won't show up on the canvas-I can tell that something's missing. When I have trouble getting down what I see in my imagination, I get impatient. Tired of painting and perfecting, I just toss that canvas in a reject pile. After inspiration returns, maybe weeks later, I can rescue a painting from the reject pile and start anew."

The rewards from the tremendous time investment required in making art come from seeing results and experiencing a sense of satisfaction. "That feeling of accomplishment, of knowing 'I created that' make the challenges easier to endure," Piapot claims.

In order to reach that pinnacle sensation, Piapot offers this advice: "Don't quit-no matter how many times you mess up. Sometimes I don't see results until after 100 tries, so never quit. You have to have self-confidence and be willing to give your all. Be patient-painting takes time."

As he continues testing techniques and learning, Piapot hopes to turn his passion into a business. His paintings can be viewed on his Facebook page, and if spectators see something they like-whether for gift-giving or for a personal collection-they can message Piapot or send him an email (dpiapot@yahoo.com).

Although Piapot would like to paint fulltime, life intrudes. He considers being with family as one of his top priorities. He and his wife of fourteen years, Joyce, have four young children at home in Harlem-two who were adopted in 2018. These children join two adult children in the family. When his family or painting aren't monopolizing his time, Piapot reads the bible. "Praying before I paint calms my mind and helps me focus," he stated.

In addition to his specialization in landscapes, Piapot is open to trying portrait painting. "That will be a test, but I plan to give it a shot and see what happens."