ROSEDALE – An artist is getting national attention for her use of a Japanese art form to showcase the alligator, one of Louisiana’s most famous animals.

The artist’s name is Leslie Charleville of L. Charleville Studios.

“The art style is gyotaku. It’s an old Japanese technique where fishermen used to come in back in the seventeenth century and there would be people there with rice paper and Sumi ink and they would paint the fish, press it to paper, and give an exact impression of it,” Charleville said.

Over the last 14 years, she has used this style of art to paint and draw hundreds to thousands of animals. These pieces include shrimp, crabs, and more. Her most famous work is alligators.

Her busiest time of the year for her art work is during alligator hunting season, which she says is only September and some parts of October.

“It’s highly regulated by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. I mean there’s only a certain number of tags that go out, it’s managed between the farms and you know the tag system,” Charleville said.

Hunters call her almost every day during gator season, hoping to have them printed after the gator has been tagged.

“I went and hung out and Pierre Part and they were kind enough and generous enough to let me print their alligators,” Charleville said.

She explained the process of making this art.

“We hose it off, clean it, position it the way that it needs to be positioned, roll it with paint, press it, drop it to the canvas, and of course, it takes a couple of people with these large alligators. Do all the pressing and the rubbing, and try to get as much detail,” Charleville said.

After that, she’ll paint and design it, with most of them then being up for sale.

She says the things that she enjoys most about doing this artwork are the people she gets to interact with and says this art is a way of preserving the animal’s memory.

“It brings me such joy to see the things that were created, brought back to life in a way that honors the animal and I mean his DNA is on the canvas,” Charleville said.

Charleville says her art work will be on display at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum on April 2. It will be up until around mid-May.

“It’s a huge honor. A lot of artists never get to see their work hanging in a museum and so I don’t take it lightly,” Charleville said.

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The Louisiana Art and Science Museum is inviting the public to learn about ancient Egypt.

The museum is hosting an event called “Egyptian Art and Archology: A Day of Hands-On History.” It will take place at the museum on Saturday, April 5, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Organizers said the interactive event will allow guests the opportunity to learn about ancient Egyptian traditions and explore the mysteries of Egypt through excavation activities. Museum visitors will also have the chance to create art and artifacts that ancient Egyptians once used.

The event will be facilitated by the Louisiana Division of Archeology, 2021 Louisiana Teacher of the year Nathalie Roy, and by Glasgow Middle’s Roman technology students.

“Come enjoy a day of hands-on history as my students help you experience ancient Egypt through its objects and archaeology,” Roy said. “Objects have stories to tell, stories about their functions, their purpose, and their owners. Once young students learn these stories, they love to tell them to others.”

The Louisiana Art and Science Museum also has a year long exhibition underway called “Discoveries on the Nile: Exploring King Tut’s Tomb and the Amin Egyptian Collection.” The exhibition includes authentic Egyptian funeral masks and reproductions of artifacts from the tomb of King Tutankhamun.

To see more about what the Louisiana Art and Science Museum has going on, click here.

Click here to report a typo. Please include the headline.

Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox.

Copyright 2025 WAFB. All rights reserved.

The races start getting bigger on the Road to the Kentucky Derby starting with Saturday’s $1 million Louisiana Derby. The 10 entries in the Grade 2 race at 1 3/16 miles headlines a big 12-race card with eight stakes races at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans. The Louisiana Derby is a Championship Series race that will award 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points to the top five finishers with the winner and runner-up securing a spot in the starting gate May 3 for the $5 million Kentucky Derby if not otherwise qualified.

The 112th running of the Louisiana Derby is Race 12 at 6:42 p.m. ET. Race 11 is the $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) for 3-year-old fillies with the same qualifying points awarded towards the May 2 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Louisiana Derby Field, Odds And Picks

The Louisiana Derby is worth watching, as 44 starters in both the Risen Star and Louisiana Derby have run in the Kentucky Derby since 2013. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finishers from this year’s Risen Star Stakes are running in the Louisiana Derby – Chunk of Gold (8/1), Built (4/1) and Vassimo (12/1). They will try to beat the race favorite John Hancock (7/2), who is 2-for-2 and makes his first start outside of Florida.

Horse Racing Nation’s Super Screener likes win contenders Built, John Hancock and Caldera (5/1), who has moved forward in each of his three races and finished a close 2nd in the Sunland Derby last month for legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Caldera lost by a nose to Kentucky Derby contender Getaway Car.

But as you watch and wager on the races, know that only two winners of the Louisiana Derby have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby: Black Gold in 1924, and Grindstone in 1996. The 1988 Louisiana Derby winner, Risen Star, went on to become a “Dual Classic Winner” by winning the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. Howerver, 4th place Louisiana Derby finisher Country House won the controversial 2019 Kentucky Derby at longshot odds of 65/1.

Another major prep race Saturday offering 100 Derby points to the winner is the $777,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky. Horse Racing Nation top win contenders include #6 Baby Max (7/2) and #12 He’s Not Joking (20/1), also a top longshot.

How To Watch And Wager On The Louisiana Derby

Along with wagering on the biggest races at FanDuel Racing, horse racing fans can tune into FanDuelTV for live on-site coverage of the two major Derby preps at Fair Grounds and Turfway Park. CNBC’s Road to the Kentucky Derby coverage also has live coverage of the two big races from 6-7 p.m. ET on Sat., March 22 while also streaming on Peacock.

Both races are part of the “Bayou Bluegrass 5,” with an estimated $1 million guaranteed all-graded stakes Pick 5. It starts with Race 8 for older horses at the Fair Grounds in the $500,000 New Orleans Classic featuring Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone, the heavy 7/5 ace favorite.

Fair Grounds Oaks Picks

If you would like to see the Kentucky Oaks favorite run one final time, then tune into the Fair Grounds Oaks Saturday. Both Horse Racing Nation and FanDuel Racing project Good Cheer (6/5) to win her sixth straight race to start her career. Good Cheer “clearly possesses the highest Super Screener Energy Reserve Index Score in this field,” according to Horse Racing Nation.

More horse racing, live betting and handicapping including the National Horseplayers Championship which was last weekend in Las Vegas. Now horse players are prepping for the biggest races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with the Run for the Roses less than six weeks away.

You can bet on it.

MORE FROM FORBES

ForbesKentucky Derby Championship Series Prep Race Schedule And 2025 TrackerBy Jay GinsbachForbesVirginia Derby Odds And 2025 Picks On The Road To The Kentucky DerbyBy Jay GinsbachForbes2025 NCAA Tournament Round Of 32 Matchups, Odds And TrendsBy Jay GinsbachForbesHere’s How To Bet On March MadnessBy Jay Ginsbach