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MEET THE ARTIST
Denise N. Silas
Allow me to introduce myself! My name is Denise N. Silas. I was born in Washington, DC, and raised in PG County, Maryland. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and Management and graduated from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in 2021 with 20-plus years’ experience teaching in the field of early childhood education. During the latter portion of my high school career, I awakened my interior and fashion design skills while later serving as an assistant to my crafts teacher during my 12th grade year at Bowie High School.
These courses had a major influence on my academic decision that led me to attend The Art Institute of Philadelphia (AIPH) in 1996, where I studied fashion design before later transferring to SNHU in 2013. While at AIPH, I studied art history and completed final exams at both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Incorporating art into my daily routine, I passionately introduced an age-appropriate marbling craft to my preschoolers.
While teaching full-time and completing my fashion program at SNHU, I started my Paint Consulting business in 2019, coordinating paint parties with families, religious organizations, and corporations like Fannie Mae for their annual Teambuilding and Professional Development Day. Paint consulting led me into paint pouring, which reminded me of the marbling I did in high school with my favorite crafts teacher.
I have showcased my 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. I was an artist partner with the Creative Suitland Art Center, where my studio space was located up until the winter of 2024. I also worked with the Prince George's Arts & Humanities Council at their art gallery, Arts'tination, as coordinator during the summer of 2022.
In 2023, my 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. I have 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, I 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.
I worked as an art specialist at Browne Summer Camp with over 300 campers from preschool through 8th grade during the summers of 2024 and 2025. I am proud to have returned to PGCPS as a middle school art teacher this 2024-25 school year and on!