Lita Gatlin, a native of Georgia, now living in Charlotte, North Carolina, began drawing in pencil and ink at an early age and transitioned into the oil medium after college.  In 2002, after a career in banking, the excitement of painting took over as she pursued art as a full-time career.  “The beauty and colors of the natural world around us provide the most inspiration for my painting,” says Lita.  “I am always amazed at the colors in nature and how they constantly change with daylight and atmosphere.”  She strives to show the effect of these changes on the mood and temperature of each painting. 

“Living in Charlotte I am surrounded by a wealth of inspiration for my paintings...two hours to the Blue Ridge mountains and three hours to the low country and coast.  Trips to the mountains usually involve a hike or run on the many wonderful trails offered by the National Park service or a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Some of my favorite paintings have come from the unbelievably quiet vistas when you reach the summit of a trail or the lush sounds when you start out by a mountain stream.”

“Taking off in the other direction, the atmosphere and sounds of the low country provide a comfort that I try to reflect in my paintings.  I want the viewer to feel like they are there...hear the cicadas and tree frogs singing.  For an artist, the beauty of the low country is its ever changing palette.  Depending on the time of day and season, the marsh grasses may change from pink to green to ochre to purple.”

“In addition to landscape painting, I love to paint life being lived.  It is great to capture the essence of a child by their curiosity or emotions as they experience life...leading their sibling on a walk, exploring sealife at the shore, picking berries, etc.”

Lita received a B.B.A. from the University of Georgia and has taken various classes from Andy Braitman of Charlotte over the years.  Each year she chooses one or two artists whom she admires to attend their workshop, including Ken Auster, Roger Dale Brown, Perry Austin and Larry Moore.  She attends annual “paint outs” facilitated by the Oil Painters of America each fall.

Exhibitions

• La Femme - a Female Perspective on Art, Studio 21, Charlotte, North Carolina, October 2010
• Carolina Salon des Refusé, ElderArt, Charlotte, North Carolina, October 2010
• Colors of the High Country (Solo Show), Blowing Rock Gallery, Blowing Rock, North Carolina,  July 2010
• Carolina Salon des Refusé, ElderArt, Charlotte, North Carolina, October 2009
• Scenes from the Low Country (Solo Show), Daufuskie Art Gallery, Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, June 2008
• Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Weatherburn Gallery, Naples, Florida, Nov 2007
• Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional “Miniature” Exhibition, Brazier Fine Art, Richmond, Virginia, September 2006
• A Visual Harvest, Gaston College – Jeanne Rauch Gallery, Gastonia, North Carolina, November 2005
• Competition for North Carolina Artists, Fayetteville Museum of Art, Fayetteville, North Carolina, April 2003

Galleries

Corporate Art

Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial, Augusta, Georgia
Duke Energy, Charlotte, North Carolina
Marriott Hotels, Charlotte, North Carolina
North Carolina Dance Theater, Charlotte, North Carolina
Senior Living Communities, Charlotte, North Carolina
Williams Mullen, Raleigh, North Carolina and Richmond, Virginia