A Father-Son Duo and the Official State Painting of Louisiana

Louisiana is no stranger to the arts. From jazz music to George Rodrigue’s Blue Dog paintings to the stories of William Joyce, the state has been the launching point of several artists and styles that have gone on to achieve worldwide fame while remaining inextricably linked to their home. With such an extensive artistic legacy, it is no wonder that Louisiana would eventually adopt an official state painting, a signed print of which is now housed within the History Center’s collection. This painting, titled simply “Louisiana,” is a collaboration between father and son, Johnny Oats Bell and Johnny Floyd Bell.

Johnny Oats Bell was born in Massachusetts on May 14, 1916, and was raised in Michigan. He served in the South Pacific during World War II, becoming the “artist in residence” for his company. In 1943, after being discharged from the military, he married Margaret Thompson, and the couple settled first in Mississippi, then in Louisiana in 1955. In both of their homes, Johnny Oats worked as a graphic and mural artist, with his own sign company. The Bells had three children together, their eldest being Johnny Floyd Bell.

Born in 1944, Johnny Floyd Bell began working in his father’s sign shop as soon as he was old enough to help out. He quickly proved to be every bit the artist that his father was. Though he experimented with various styles and techniques, he always considered himself a mural and graphic artist first and foremost, like his father before him. Indeed, he emulated his father so well that at one point, Johnny Oats Bell mistook his son’s work as his own, and was left puzzled by the fact that he could not remember painting it.

Eventually, father and son decided to combine their talents to pay tribute to their beloved home in the form of an oil painting. Completed in 1985, after 10 years of collaborative effort, “Louisiana” managed to incorporate all of Louisiana’s state symbols that existed at the time, its history as an agricultural and transportational giant, and its current designation as a “Sportsman’s Paradise,” all into one stunning work of art. Johnny Oats and Johnny Floyd’s styles blended perfectly, so much so that they decided to sign the painting with one “Johnny Bell” signature, with the center containing the father’s “O” and the son’s “F” nestled within it.

“Louisiana” would eventually catch the attention of Louisiana lawmakers, and on June 29, 1995, Governor Edwin W. Edwards signed Act 981, designating “Louisiana” as the official state painting (though the copyright privileges would remain with the artists). Johnny Floyd Bell would go on to be appointed as “Louisiana’s Artist Laureate” by Governor Mike Foster in 1997, a title he held until 2009. Today, the original “Louisiana” hangs at the State Capital in Baton Rouge in a gilded frame. The History Center’s print of “Louisiana,” which was donated earlier this year by Bossier City resident Bill Swygart, is in a plainer wooden frame, but it is no less of a treasure. It stands not just as a testament of the Bells’ incredible craftsmanship and synergism, but as a reminder of the unique beauty and history of Louisiana.

The Bossier Parish Library History Center’s unique collection of objects exists because of donors who have items representing local and regional history and who want to see those items preserved and accessible to visitors and researchers. To see our rotating displays or to research other items in our collection, come visit us at 7204 Hutchison Drive, Bossier City, LA. We are open M-Th 9-8, Fri 9-6, and Sat 9-5. Our phone number is (318) 746-7717 and our email is history-center@bossierlibrary.org

For other fun facts, photos, and videos, be sure to visit the History and Genealogy Resources page at Bossierlibrary.org or follow us @BPLHistoryCenter on FB and check out our blog http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/.

Images: 

• “Louisiana,” by Johnny Oats Bell and Johnny Floyd Bell, designated as the official state painting in 1995 by Governor Edwin Edwards.   2025.006.001  
• Johnny O. Bell and Johnny Floyd Bell pictured with their painting, "Louisiana"                                  Southwest Daily News Mar 04, 1999 

Article by: Jaylie Rester