TWO GENERATIONS OF ART

SHREVEPORT, LA. — Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin invites the public to attend the opening of James D. Cawthon and Richard J. Cawthon, Two Generations of Art exhibit, an outstanding memorial exhibit of landscape and still life painting by James D. Cawthon (1915-2011) and architectural renderings and ink and graphite pencil drawings by his son, Richard J. Cawthon (1954-).  The exhibit will be on display from July 11 to July 28, 2023 in the West Wing Gallery. There will be an Opening Reception on Tuesday July 11, 2023 from 4:30 – 7:00 pm.  The exhibit is open to the public and the Friends of LSEM will provide light refreshments.

Born in south Bossier parish in the small community of Koran, James D. Cawthon studied at Louisiana Tech and moved to Shreveport in 1939.  He worked as an accountant for United Gas and Pennzoil.  He began drawing “since he was old enough to hold a pencil,” and joined the Shreveport Art Club in 1950.  He enrolled in sketch classes at the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum and then oil painting classes with H.B. Wright, the museum’s curator. He later progressed to studying with Louis G. Sicard, Sr., Henry Glasser and Merle Inabnit.

J.D. Cawthon served as president of the Shreveport Art Club 1959-60, was a charter member and president of the Men’s Art Guild, and participating in numerous group and individual art exhibits. His last solo exhibit was at the Karpeles Museum in 2008.

Richard Cawthon, son of J.D. Cawthon, attended Byrd High School, and received a B.A. in geography from Louisiana State University. After serving as an Army officer, he obtained a Master of Architectural History degree from the University of Virginia.  Richard retired as the Chief Architectural Historian with the Mississippi Department of Archives and works independently as a consulting architectural historian. He now resides in Shreveport.

Active as an artist for many years, Richard studied drafting and architectural rendering, leading to an early focus on drawing and painting architectural subjects.  He later studied human figure drawing and oil painting with teachers in Jackson, Mississippi. He has worked in oils, watercolors, and pastels, as well as ink and graphite pencil. Richard has exhibited in Jackson, Fort Worth, and Shreveport, including shows with his father J.D. Cawthon.  Richard teaches drawing classes in the continuing education program at LSU Shreveport.

The museum is located at 3015 Greenwood Road, Shreveport, La. 71109, between Hearne and Jewella Avenues. Admission is free and tours are available by appointment.  For more information about the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum, go to www.laexhibitmuseum.org  or call 318.632.2020. For the Secretary of State’s Museums Program, please visit http://www.sos.la.gov/museums  Museum staff invite local residents and visitors to view the exhibit during regular museum hours Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.