Sebastian Duverge was born an artist. Before helping fill galleries in his 20s, he created his first works as a 4-year-old freshman in Louisville.
“As much as I loved drawing and cutting the paper, I also enjoyed crumbled it into a ball,” said Duverge, now 28, last month. “My mom or dad would have to take it away from me or I would do that every time. My mom has an artwork I made with markers that is very abstract.”
He is a unique individual, say those around him – he was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3 in his hometown of Queens, New York. Duverge grew up with a talent for the arts and an affinity for the immigrant and Latino communities in his area that continues to inform his work today.
Duverge and his family relocated to the Bluegrass State from the Big Apple after his father took a new job in Louisville. That was 24 years ago and about a year after his diagnosis.
However, his mother saw his talent from a young age, she said. After all, it runs in the family.
“I have two very creative sons,” said Sandra Miranda Duverge. “His older brother Gabriel is a great writer.”
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The budding artist has more than just a supportive mom in his corner. He credited his success to the encouragement he received from his teachers at Ballard High School along with motivation over the years from his professors at Jefferson Community and Technical College.
Duverge took courses at the JCTC with a fine arts foundation, learning artistic and design techniques and art history. Others in the community, like local artist Jessica Chao and Dan Trabue, Duverge’s job coach at Edge Employment, have also mentored him, he said.
“I enjoy using my hands and using a lot of paint,” Duverge said. “I like to be quiet, so I enjoy losing myself in what I’m doing. I like being with people, even if I don’t say much. … I have had and still have wonderful artists in my life who have helped me improve my art.”
Duverge has drawn several portraits over the years and says he takes inspiration from nature. Watercolor, paper weave, and paper mosaic are among his preferred mediums, he said.
Trabue has served as more than an attorney in the five years he has known Duverge. The pair worked together to find what art styles work best and satisfy Duverge the most. Duverge is an “easy guy to like,” the job coach said, and the two have bonded over other shared interests, like hiking.
“I work with/next to Sebastian regularly, at least a day or two a week,” Trabue said. “Although he is my children’s age, we have found many common interests and enjoy our time together. Part of our job in supporting job applicants is that we’re supposed to be in the background or ‘invisible’ as much as possible.”
Duverge, who aspires to one day have his own gallery, continues to grow as an artist. For now, he’s learned to bridge the gap between what he loves to create and what suppliers might like, Trabue said. Duverge recently acquired a high-end printer and scanner – eventually, he said, he plans to print his artwork onto clothing and other fabrics, and offer a service to other up-and-coming artists.
“I’m hoping to offer small-batch printing for artists,” Duverge said. “Typically, companies want you to buy prints of their art in bulk. Often you get the order and the print doesn’t look like the real thing.”
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Miranda Duverge thinks her son’s work is an indication of who he is as an individual.
“Sebastian was and still is a very easy going and happy person,” she said. “He loves to be around people. I just want my kids to be happy and have meaningful people in their lives.”
Self-proclaimed art connoisseur Miranda Duverge’s private collection consists of several pieces created by her son and other artists.
Her son’s use of bright colors and vivid detail fills him with pride and joy, she said, and positive feedback from others in the industry has helped him grow.
“I think the more he’s exposed to other artists and continues to spend time creating, the more his art grows,” she said.
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He also has interests outside of art. Duverge spends time working with local groups like La Casita Center, Americana World Community Center, and Kentucky Refugee Ministries to support others from all backgrounds.
A few years ago, KRM organized a celebration of the arts of non-natives in the region. They listened, told and told stories of local immigrants, Trabue said, and Duverge used his art to illustrate their stories.
“Sebastian’s contribution to this collaborative effort was to create portraits of some immigrants whose stories were told,” Trabue said. “Then he created a kind of wall of branches and attached the portraits he had made to this woven wall of branches – along with a portrait he had made of himself. He called this piece ‘Family Tree’.”
Trabue is proud of how far Duverge has come. His work is “fun” and “enjoying” and worth the attention it gets, he added.
“I’ve been on shows where his art has filled the space, wall to wall, and it’s just a joy to walk around and take it all in,” Trabue said.
He’s still growing as an artist, but there’s a central theme behind all of his art, Duverge said. “I’m a very happy person and I like to add a lot of color even where there isn’t any,” he said. “[It’s all about]fun and joy. My drawings are very happy.”
For more information about Duverge and his work, email sebastianduvergestudios@gmail.com
Culture and diversity reporter Jason Gonzalez can be reached at jgonzalez1@gannett.com.