About the Artist

I am from Charlotte, NC but moved to Lake Wylie, SC (just outside of Charlotte) with my husband, Skoochie and goldendoodle, Sunny about 6 years ago after retirement. 

 I loved my career as a Physician Assistant but had no idea that painting would soon become my new passion.  I began with acrylics, then transitioned to oils.  I love painting animals, but when I need a dose of bright color in my life, I switch to abstract florals, still life work and the occasional landscape.  Besides pets, I have painted many special memories, angels, still lifes and family treasures by commission.  I have two children, Trent Hawthorne and his wife Joanna, and their son Grant (5) (and daughter Daley (2) and Brooke Hawthorne Hall, husband Jack and two sons Lawton (14) and Wyatt (11), all in Charlotte.  

I love each portrait I paint and love to make people happy but I missed the dogs after they left my hands.  The first year, I decided to self-publish a children's book starring all of the dogs I had painted.  It began as a project for my youngest grandson and then became a tradition.  It was so well-received, I have been doing one every few years.  It is truly a highlight of the year!