Shasti O’Leary Soudant is a transdisciplinary artist, designer, and writer who was born in New York City and is now based in Buffalo. She studied filmmaking and animation at the School of Visual Arts in New York in 1986, received a BFA (cum laude) in sculpture and photography from SUNY Purchase College in 1991, and earned an MFA in visual studies from SUNY Buffalo in 2011. As a freelance graphic designer, photographer, and illustrator, her clients include major publishing houses, and her work has appeared on the covers of books by James Patterson, Stephen King, John Grisham, E.L. Doctorow, Anna Quindlen, Gore Vidal, Walter Mosley, Sophie Kinsella, and other best-selling authors. She has received commissions for public art installations from the Albright-Knox, the Savarino Companies, CEPA Gallery, Roswell Park, and other organizations, while her work has been exhibited at venues in Buffalo, Beijing, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, and elsewhere. For more information, visit shastiolearysoudant.com or burchfieldpenney.org.

Artists Seen: Photographs of Artists in the 21st Century is an ongoing project by photographer David Moog in partnership with the Burchfield Penney Art Center at SUNY Buffalo State. Moog has set out to make portraits of every self-identified working artist and arts professional in Western New York. To be included in the project, call David Moog directly at 716-472-6721 or contact the center at 716-878-4131. Artists working in all media are welcome; visit burchfieldpenney.org for more information.