Derenda J. Keating

Derenda J. Keating was born and reared in southern Louisiana and studied art at the University of Northeastern Louisiana in Monroe. She has also studied under some of America’s finest contemporary artists such as Judy Crowe, Bill Kalwick, Kevin Macpherson, Robert Moore and Ron Rencher.

Her work has received awards in juried art competitions and is showing in prestigious art galleries across Texas, California, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. While in Louisiana, Derenda served on the board of directors of the Friends of the Zigler Art Museum in Jennings, Louisiana.

In 2005 her painting “Denim and Sax” was selected as the subject of the official poster of the Straight and Smooth Jazz Festival of Houston, TX. Subsequently, she was commissioned to paint a series of twelve portraits of contemporary American Jazz performers.

In 2007, Derenda's work was featured in a one artist show at the Zigler Art Museum and her paintings are included in the Zigler's permanent collection of Louisiana artists and her painting "The Regulars" was published in the "Art Galleries & Artists of the South" Magazine Volume 6 Issue 1.

Derenda’s style is “loose realism” that emphasizes the values of sunlight and shadow. Most of her work begins with plein air studies to capture the subtleties of the direct and reflected light, followed by studio work that combines the plein air study and photographs taken on location.

Most recently, Derenda has begun a series of works depicting the beauty and charm of the Texas Hill Country in and around Fredericksburg titled, “Under the Texas Sun" and a series of paintings of the lifestyles of southern Louisiana titled "Ma Louisiane" which will also be the title of a soon-to-be-released book.

Derenda currently resides near Fredericksburg, Texas, on the "Little "d" Art Ranch", and she continues to paint mostly Louisiana and Texas Hill Country subjects.