Meet Our Featured Artists
Creating & showcasing their work in our studio
Dr. Leah Durst
Owner and Interim Manager
My husband Bob Durst and I created Tesserae Studios for our son Benjamin. I also work full-time but whenever I get a chance I dabble in oil painting, watercolors, drawing, and mosaics. And I love supporting all our featured artists and Friday Night Jam musicians including our vocalist son Nick Durst.
Michael Latala
Artist and Instructor
Michael is a professional artist who has won many awards and leads the oil painting classes here at Tesserae Studios. He has an Associate of Arts degree in Advertising/Design from the American Academy of Art.
Find out more about him at latalaart.com
Julia Pawlowska
Artist and Studio Assistant
Julia holds a Bachelor's in Fine Arts from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She specializes in drawing and painting and she runs the After School Art Club.
Ashley Reardon
Artist and Studio Assistant
Artist, Vocalist, and Studio Assistant. Ashley joined Tessarae's in 2025. She's a multi-media artist and has studied voice at Columbia College.
Friday Night Jam Lead Vocalist
Lead Vocalist in two heavy metal and hard rock bands, Be Forewarned and Hot Kaliber.
Artist and Event Coordinator
I studied at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver before attending the School of the Art Institute Chicago where I earned a Bachelor's in Fine Art Education.
Artist and Event Coordinator
Hola! My name is Catherine, but you can also call me Cat or Cate! I love being outside, hablando español, connecting with others and of course creating art! I am an abstract mixed media artist mainly focused on creating environmental and mental health artwork. Each one of my pieces is a piece of me!