MEET THE ARTIST
Denise N. Silas
Denise was born in Washington, DC, and raised in PG County, Maryland. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and Management and graduated from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in 2021 with over 20 years of experience teaching in the field of early childhood education. During the latter portion of her high school career, Denise awakened her interior and fashion design skills while later serving as an assistant to her crafts teacher during her 12th-grade year at Bowie High School.
These courses had a major influence on her academic decision that led her to attend The Art Institute of Philadelphia (AIPH) in 1996, where she studied fashion design before later transferring to SNHU in 2013. While at AIPH, Denise studied art history and completed final exams at both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Incorporating art into her daily routine, Denise passionately introduced an age-appropriate marbling craft to her preschoolers.
While teaching full-time and completing her fashion program at SNHU, Denise started her paint consulting business in 2019, coordinating paint parties with families, religious organizations, and corporations like Fannie Mae for their annual teambuilding and professional development days. Paint consulting led Denise into paint pouring, which reminded her of the marbling she did in high school with her favorite crafts teacher.
Denise has showcased her work at prominent places like The Fillmore Silver Spring with the RAW Artists community, participated in a Creative Chat interview with CB Creates, and been featured in the magazines Shoutout LA and CanvasRebel. Denise was an artist partner at the Creative Suitland Art Center, where her studio space was located, up until the winter of 2024. Denise also worked with the Prince George's Arts & Humanities Council at their art gallery, Arts'tination, as a coordinator during the summer of 2022.
In 2023, her artwork, titled “Celebrate Freedom,” was installed at the Black-owned restaurant Bistro 64° in District Heights, Maryland. During the summer of 2025, Celebrate Freedom made its way to the Be Lounge at Greenwood Rowe in the heart of Baltimore's historic Sowebo district and is now housed at the Milk & Honey Restaurant in Camp Springs. Denise has also had the opportunity to teach elementary art full-time during the 2022-2023 school year with two Prince George's County public schools. At the end of 2023, Denise joined the Melwood staff as an aide with their youth enrichment services after-school program of thirty students at Apple Grove Elementary, with a focus on art therapy.
Denise worked as the art specialist at Browne Summer Camp with over 300 campers from preschool through 8th grade during the summers of 2024 and 2025. Denise is proud to have returned to PGCPS as a middle school art teacher in 2024 and continues to serve as an instructional educator in the visual art department with the Prince George's County school system!