The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) will host a closing reception for its exhibition, “Two Visions: The Work of Bill Beier and Clyde Downs,” on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Sharon Turcan Gahagan Art Gallery.
The exhibition, which opened Oct. 5, features the work of two artists whose approaches explore abstraction, color, movement and the natural world.
William G. “Bill” Beier’s work examines the interaction of complex three-dimensional forms within two-dimensional space. His paintings use geometric patterns, movement and visual relationships to create compositions that encourage viewers to explore different areas of the canvas.
Beier’s artistic influences include Western art history, with references to Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh and Pieter Bruegel. His work explores visual perception, movement and the relationship between artistic forms and the viewer’s experience.
Beier has spent much of his career teaching English, literature, art history and studio art at colleges and universities in Louisiana and abroad. His teaching experience includes serving on the faculty of the LSMSA Virtual School and co-teaching a Survey of the Arts course with former LSMSA Executive Director Pat Widhalm.
After retiring from academia in 2007, Beier devoted his attention to painting and developing an art appreciation text.
His previous exhibitions include “Academic Exercises” at Northwestern State University’s Orville Hanchey Gallery in 1992 and “The New Abstractionists IX” at the Walter Wickiser Gallery in New York City in 2016.
Clyde Downs’ paintings featured in the exhibition were created beginning in 2025 and reflect his responses to the natural world.
His work explores landscapes through color, gesture and expressive brushwork, representing the energy, rhythms and movement of both observed and imagined environments.
According to his artist statement, Downs’ paintings range from representational to abstract, with an emphasis on expressing emotional responses to the natural world.
Downs also describes an early interest in art that began when his grandparents gave him an easel and chalkboard as a child. He recalls spending an afternoon attempting to reproduce a drawing of a cowboy made by his grandfather, an experience that helped establish his interest in becoming an artist.
The closing reception on Oct. 29 will mark the final day of the exhibition.
The Sharon Turcan Gahagan Art Gallery is located at 715 University Parkway in Natchitoches. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment.