Howard John Besnia was an artist and educator whose career spanned over seven decades.
Education
He produced works in many painting and drawing media, and was a prolific print maker and creator of hand made books, He received a Master of Fine Arts (Master of Fine Arts) degree from Yale University, and was a tenured faculty member and head of the Art Department of Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts.
Career
In 1943, Besnia entered active service in the United States. Army, and served as a cartographer for the Office of Strategic Services until 1946. In 1944 he worked as the staff artist at the Stagedoor and penthouse United Service Organizations clubs, producing over 200 caricatures and 400 pastel portraits. In 1946, he had a one-man show at The Arts Club of Washington District of Columbia Besnia later attended the Corcoran School of Art, and eventually moved back to Massachusetts.
There, he enrolled at Clark University, which was affiliated with the Worcester Art Museum.
He followed those studies at Yale University, where he received Bachelor of Fine Arts (1949) and Master of Fine Arts (1950) degrees.