From a very age, Annette was interested in art. The early mentoring she received from her high school art teachers encouraged her to pursue the development of her artistic talents in both undergraduate and graduate art education studies. Having earned a BFA in art education from Valdosta State University, she then completed her MEd in Elementary Education. This culminated in her employment as an art educator at Valdosta Middle School in 1977. At this point in her career, she concentrated on raising her family while still volunteering art instruction in the public schools. She began painting as an extension of her photography. Now painting is her passion.

The widespread acceptance of her art includes recognition with numerous awards in juried competitions in local, state and national shows, as well as being published in The Palette Magazine. She exhibits and markets her work with five fellow artists at a private gallery, Artists on Ashley in downtown Valdosta, Georgia. Last year she had an exhibit in the contemporary gallery at the Albany Museum of Art. Other recent show venues include the Firehouse Arts Center in Bainbridge, GA; Glynn Art Association in Saint Simons Island, GA; Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, GA and Goodyear Cottage in Jekyll Island, GA. Her artistic focus is painting landscapes and non-objective painting using a variety of color, shape, form, line and textures.

I’m a 41-year-old mom and rug hooking artist. I have a background in retail and graphic art. I was also a junior trainee at Northern McGown Workshop. I focus on learning everything I can about rug hooking so I can help you on your journey. I dye, color plan, customize patterns, and provide video tutorials and personal lessons in my home or through the web camera. I also sell kits, wool, and more.

I love anything to do with nature. Growing up I spent most of my spare time hiking and enjoying the woods surrounding my parents’ home in north Georgia. My parents passed down their deep love of nature to me, as well as their gifts in the art field. My father was a developmental engineer, which required excellent drafting skills, and my mother is an avid crafter. I dabbled in both oil and acrylic paints starting as a preteen; then I added batiks and a wide variety of crafts over the years. I discovered colored pencil in my 50’s and am drawn to that medium because of the control it offers for drawing realistic objects and scenes from nature. I enjoy creating pictures in colored pencil only but have also started combining mediums and incorporating colored pencil with watercolor to change the intensity or luminosity of my pictures. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to continue to draw and paint. I am grateful that although I have needed seven operations on my eyes over the years, my vision is still clear.

My first passion was working with children on the spectrum and teaching Speech-Language Pathology college students how to work with children and young adults with autism. I retired from my position as an Assistant Professor at Valdosta State University three years ago and since that time have begun pursuing my two other passions: nature and art. I reside in Valdosta, Georgia with my husband, David, and our two rescue fur babies. I most enjoy painting flowers, my grandchildren (profile only for now), nature scenes, and Christmas cards. My husband and I are avid hikers, which gives me plenty of opportunities for pictures.

I am a landscape photographer who enjoys capturing sunsets, the beach and all nature related scenes. I also enjoy taking pictures of historic downtown areas and old buildings, and use my photography skills on the job as a real estate agent taking pictures of property listings.

Having enjoyed photography of all kinds for over 55 years, for the past 15 years, I have focused on birds more than any other subject. Learning their habits, lifestyle patterns and favorite locations has lead to the capture of some great images.

Seeking ways to further develop images, I explored the growing number of digital art filters and drawing tools available. Seeing the artistic enhancement that can be made using these new tools, I chose to move beyond the technical – moment in time photograph, and turn the best images into home decor works of art.

All the my works began life as a photograph capturing the subject in nature. From land, wading in the waters to kayaking their to feeding and gathering areas, I have collected images that are great candidates to take to the next level.

Selected images are processed using art filtering software to achieve a softer rendering of the original image. Additional adjustments and enhancements are then made using digital sketching and painting software create a stunning artistic representation of the original work. When finalized my work is printed on canvas which is then frame stretched to make a final print ready for mounting.

I continue to experiment with using post processing techniques and CNC software to produce 3D representations of photographs in wood. For now pets have been the most popular subject but always looking to expand. I share my photograph and other works on Instagram at Wren_Works_LLC

I am a local artist and have my artist studio in my home in Hahira, GA, where I paint commissioned portraits of people and animals. I also paint commissioned still life and landscape paintings. The mediums that I use are oil, pastel, and charcoal. I have studied and use the classical method with impressionistic touches in my paintings. I love to capture the “soul” inside of a person or animal in the portraits that I paint, and have many years of experience in painting portraits from life and from photos. Please view my Facebook page, “Uniquely Yours Portraits and Art by Susan Harris Tyler” where you can see more examples of my work and can contact me.