Like many artists, Tina Palmer had a natural interest in painting from her early childhood, and watching her father paint and draw always got her attention. She was the kid teachers called-on for creative undertakings like composing the bulletin boards for Holidays and her art teachers were a strong influence throughout high school.
Tina attended college studying graphic design in the era before computer aided design was mainstream and most designs were hand rendered. She left school to become a young entrepreneur, building a Bridal Boutique and a Men's Custom Suit business. After starting her family she chose to stay home with her small children and then went back to work in graphic design. She ultimately preferred being her own boss and started a custom framing business, which led her to being noticed by a gallery that wanted to sell her original art. Her art sales took off instantly and keeping up with the demand meant giving up the framing business to pursue painting full time. This being a lifelong dream of hers, the decision was a no-brainer. Her professional art career was launched! For years she painted primarily moody landscapes of trees and richly-color abstracts, selling hundreds of originals a year through fine art galleries across the US.
Leveraging her commercial success has led to developing new subjects and styles. Tina has now spent the past few years experimenting and developing a variety of subjects, including her latest works revolving around moody scenes of people with umbrellas going about their daily lives, a series of boats and beaches and abstract hearts - all introduced to strong positive responses from collectors. The hearts have led to a strong relationship with the American Heart Association and Tina's popular Art Sale and Benefit events sharing proceeds with the charity.
Her collector community continues to grow. Now living and working in downtown Washington, D.C., Tina hosts several private art events a year, including opening her studio for collectors and friends to experience her creative environment. According to Tina, "I will never run out of subjects to paint and I want to try to paint as much as I can as long as I live. I really enjoy the steady pace and deciding what to paint on any given day. I'm lucky and blessed to get to do what I love and have always loved and making a great living at it is a bonus. My plan is to keep painting and keep learning."