Barbara Johnson La Plante

Barbara Johnson LaPlante
April 8, 1927 – October 11, 2019

Barbara Johnson LaPlante, widow of Claude R. LaPlante, passed away peacefully on October 11 in Jacksonville, Florida, where she had lived since 2016. Barbara was born in Bangor, Maine, but spent the majority of her childhood in Reading, Massachusetts. Her father, Rae Johnson, was a government worker with the Department of Agriculture; her mother, Madeleine Chandler Johnson, a home engineer. In 1949 Barbara graduated with a BA from Boston University and that same year married Claude, a certified public accountant. The couple raised their three children, Skip, Suzanne, and Cylla (now deceased), in Needham, Massachusetts.

Barbara was a multi-talented artist: musician, dancer, and most notably painter and visual artist. She developed her visual artistic skills early on, painting in oils—particularly beach scenes—and creating collages made from rocks, seashells, seaweed, and beach glass. During the 1960s she operated a small business selling Tri-Chem, a paint that could be applied directly onto cloth, with which she created eclectic designs on clothing.

As empty nesters Barbara and Claude moved to Fripp Island, South Carolina, where Barbara was very active in the arts community. There, she painted primarily in water colors. Most of her works were landscapes, but she produced several avant-garde paintings prior to cataract surgery. Barbara was closely associated with several art associations in South Carolina, including Beaufort Art Association, South Carolina Artisans Center, and The Red Piano Too Art Gallery. She was represented by Joe Buckalew, one of the foremost art distributors in the country.
In addition to Skip and Suzanne, Barbara is survived by her devoted sister, Margaret James, two nephews, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Donations may be made to the following charities: Beaufort Art Association, the Parish Church of St Helena, or the Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA), all in Beaufort.