Denyce Celentano

Denyce Celentano is an associate professor of painting & drawing at the LSU School of Art. She received her BA from Boston College and her MFA from East Carolina University and has studied painting and drawing at York University School of Visual Arts in Ontario, Canada. Her paintings have been exhibited in various venues throughout the United States, including Seattle; Washington, DC; New York; North Carolina; Massachusetts; and Tennessee. Her work is included in several public and private collections.

Richard A. Johnson

The signature look of Richard A. Johnson's work has been described as Abstract Illusionism, but throughout the years, Johnson has explored how to push the limitations of this art historical category. Today, his painting technique incorporates acrylic and collage. Layers of ambiguous subject matter pile on top one another in an enigmatic composition where although some forms might be based in reality, they are deconstructed beyond the point of recognition. Texture, color value, and three-dimensional space are relevant to the component parts of the painting.

Hasmig Vartanian

Hasmig Vartanian was born in Palestine in 1946 of Armenian descent and grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1956 where they lived in Philadelphia, PA. and she attended public schools, graduating from high school in Racine, Wisconsin. In 1973 she began studies in art at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she earned her BFA degree in fiber art, 1977 and an MFA degree in painting/drawing from Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 1980. Her teaching experience includes both full time faculty teaching at Loyola University Art Department, in New Orleans, St Tammany Public Schools, Talented Art Program, and adjunct instructor at Southeastern Louisiana University Art Department, Hammond, LA.  

Bill Iles

Bill Iles is perhaps best known for his strong impact on the artists' community of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Iles dedicated about 30 years to the Department of Visual Arts at McNeese State University and has since maintained relationships with many artists in Southern Louisiana. Iles is inspired by the woodlands around his hometown. His forests have great visual impact with their small--almost pointillist--brushstrokes, saturated color palette, and graphic aesthetic.

Claudia DeMonte

DeMonte's work is heavily influenced by her travels to over 80 countries, her interest in the roles of women in contemporary society and Outsider Art, a collection compiled with her husband, artist Ed McGowin. For 33 years, DeMonte has served on the faculty of the University of Maryland, where she was named Distinguished Scholar Teacher and Professor Emerita. In 2006, She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the College of Santa Fe.

*the following works are all framed!