Welcome to our gallery...
We take pride in showcasing the best artists in Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley area. Our collection features a diverse range of mediums and genres, ensuring that there's something for everyone to enjoy."
Our Artists
Lori Tatum is an award-winning, self-taught artist whose work is inspired by the beauty of God’s creation, particularly the human figure. Since beginning her art journey in 2012, Lori has developed a deep love for oil painting, which she has pursued wholeheartedly since 2016. Her work spans a variety of genres, including portraits, landscapes, and still life, and she especially enjoys painting from life. In addition to her personal artistic achievements, Lori has been teaching oil painting and pastels for the past five years. Watching the “lights go on” in her students brings her immense joy, and she continues to learn and grow alongside them, forever a student at heart. A loving wife, mother of two, and proud grandmother (“Gree”) of five, Lori began painting later in life to fulfill a long-lost childhood dream, proving that it’s never too late to pursue one’s passion and find success.
Katie Calvert is a visual artist based in Huntsville, Alabama, who primarily works in oil. She always wanted to be an artist, but it took a while before she began to see art as not just the thing she wanted to do, but the thing she has to do, a necessity that grounds her in the complexities of life, allowing her to hold both beauty and sorrow simultaneously. Her abstract works often speak to that tension, as she seeks to elicit conversations surrounding the intersections of art, justice and healing. Her landscapes aim to evoke wonder about the natural world and a longing for its renewal.
Tracy Steel Thompson attended Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia before transferring to Ringling College (formerly Ringling School of Art and Design) where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. Her professional experience has included faux finish and mural painting for a high-end market, photo restoration, graphic design, and art education. Tracy's artistic interests have transitioned from illustration and graphic design to mixed media by combining painting and printmaking. Influenced by a visit to Disney's Magic Kingdom at the age of five, she finds her work is reminiscent of the artist Mary Blaire, creator of Disney's iconic Small World ride. Tracy admires and gravitates toward the bold shapes, fluid lines and complex textures of Rex Ray's work. The use of a Gelli Arts printing plate allows her the freedom to create her own papers with multiple layers of texture. She is inspired by the colors and patterns of the beauty of nature that give her a sense of awe for God the Creator. She aspires to express God's love for the world through the bold,playful colors and textures of her work.
Beck McDowell grew up in New Orleans surrounded by the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain, canals, bayous and swamps. But it was the beauty and serenity of the marshes that drew her to painting these shallow wetlands that sheltered tiny animals and plants from predatory fish and majestic sea birds in search of a tasty meal. For many years she traveled from Huntsville by bus with her students to study the coastal marshes so they would understand the importance of nature’s nurseries in our food chain. Although she has no formal training, the encouragement of local professionals and artist friends has motivated her to work hard to capture the emotions these scenes inspire in her. Oil is her favorite medium for recreating light and sky and water and reflections. The author of two books, Last Bus Out (bio) and This Is Not a Drill (YA), Beck says the melding of her writing career and art career began when her grandmother sent her first grade poem called “Clouds” to a contest. She’s been writing stories and painting clouds ever since.
Libby Pope, a self-taught oil painter began her art career after a stressful career in dentistry resulted in an autoimmune disease. She used art as part of her healing path toward balance and simplicity in her life. Painting daily, she particularly loves to focus her work on the beautiful ways that light affects water and glass. After much prayer during difficult times, God has given her painting as a way forward, to glorify Him and to heal her body.
Katie Hallahan is a visual artist who works primarily in oil paints and soft pastels. She believes in “slow living through art,” encouraging herself and others to linger upon the ordinary and mindfully observe the world around us. Katie creates energetic and colorful art that captures the spirit of her subjects—whether a landscape, unusual still life, or portrait. She particularly enjoys plein air painting as a way to connect with nature, explore new places, and study the personality of a specific time and place. She also finds joy in reinterpreting old family photographs by applying unique color palettes and an impressionistic flair to Polaroids and tin types from dusty family albums. Katie is a board member of the Piedmont Pastel Society, member of the American Impressionist Society, and a juried member of the Pastel Society of America. Accolades include numerous prizes in plein air festivals of the Southeast, being a selected artist for the 2023 Creative Greensboro Downtown Arts program, and awards in the 2024 Piedmont Pastel Society Member Exhibition and 2023 North Carolina Statewide Pastel Exhibition. Exhibitions include several juried shows, including the 2022 International Association of Pastel Societies Juried Exhibition and the 2023 PastelSociety of America Annual Exhibition.
Michelle earned her BFA in Graphic Design from Missouri State University and continued her arts education in Fine Art Painting at STLCC Wildwood. She began her career working full time as a graphic artist in St. Louis Missouri, gaining experience in various areas including advertising, illustration and television. She is now in the studio painting full time, exhibiting frequently, accepting commission work and participating in Plein Air events and workshops. Michelle lives and works in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband Bruce, two rescue dogs, Weeble Wobble and Lil’ Tot while building her dream home and studio in Guild Tennessee.
J. W. Adams, a.k.a "Julia Anne", was born on May 23 1988, in Huntsville, AL. Julia Anne began drawing lessons under the direction of Barbara Miller when she was just eleven years old. Four years later, she added painting to her studies and fell in love with oils. Inspired by the works of Richard Schmid, J. W. Waterhouse, and John Singer Sargent, she decided to pursue painting professionally. This pursuit led Julia Anne to study around the world at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy, The Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia, and in workshops with contemporary artists such as Daniel J. Keys in San Francisco, CA. Julia Anne's work now hangs in private collections from coast to coast in the United States. Today, Julia Anne is back in her hometown Huntsville, AL with her husband Blake, and daughters Claire and Heather. Julia Anne believe's her talent is truly a gift from God and that every day in the studio provides an opportunity to express His love for us. Her heart and desire is to capture the beauty of God's creation in every painting.