There are many LSU-themed artists scattered across the state, but St. Tammany Parish Police Department Lieutenant Randy Caminita and his company, Geaux Dat Studios, quickly are becoming the most desired artists in the Boot.
Geaux Dat Studios began in 2008 as a hobby for Caminita and his wife, Rebecca. The couple needed a logo for their company, so they began playing with the idea of placing a tiger eye inside a Louisiana outline.
After realizing their love for the New Orleans Saints was just as strong as their love for LSU, the two incorporated a fleur-de-lis into the design, finalizing their logo.
“Geaux Dat was a result of combining the popular phrases of the Saints and the Tigers,” Caminita said. “It captures everything I’m a fan of and our customers.”
Caminita taught himself how to draw and paint, calling it a process of “trial and error.” After years of creating art for his own pleasure, he decided the next step in his artistic adventure was to create pieces for other people.
During an art event in 2007, Caminita and his wife found one artist whose officially licensed LSU art was being sold to the public.
He inquired about how the artist went about acquiring an official license and found himself directed to a website where he could apply for his own LSU trademark license.
After a lengthy process of meeting quotas, paying insurance and fulfilling other specific requirements, Caminita received his license in time for the 2008 season.
In six years, Geaux Dat Studios has grown from a group of acrylic-based works into a much broader spectrum of art.
The company also dove into the digital world with digital printing onto canvases or photo paper. Geaux Dat prints using a process known as sublimation to transfer dyes onto a garment or piece of aluminum under high amounts of heat and pressure through a heat press.
Works from Geaux Dat currently sit in the LSU Athletic Office, LSU Chancellor F. King Alexander’s office, the “LeRoy Neiman: Action!” exhibit in the LSU Museum of Art and the home of former LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson.
“We never expected that we would grow into one of the most sought after LSU artists in the state,” Caminita said.
Currently, Geaux Dat is heavily involved with the LSU Alumni Association and its chapter events. The company is also looking into out-of-state events to bring LSU art to alumni who can’t travel back to Baton Rouge.
Caminita said the current goal of Geaux Dat is to become the studio everyone refers to when speaking about LSU or Saints-themed art.
“I’m a true fan of both of the teams we make art about,” Caminita said. “My love for those teams and what I do is fully expressed in our pieces, and it’ll continue to be that way.”
Geaux Dat Studio’s art can be purchased in Baton Rouge at Co-op Bookstore, Denicola’s Tiger Den, Tiger Central, LLC and House of Orleans in the Mall of Louisiana.
You can reach Joshua Jackson on Twitter @joshua_jackson.