I was born in Virginia and grew up in a family of artists. As a family, we frequented many art museums and shows. My mother, an art teacher and abstract expressionist who showed her works at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC., encouraged me to sit by her side and paint with her; I still have the first oil I painted; I was six years old! My late father, an Air Force judge, was an award-winning painter of realism. His military life afforded us the opportunity to travel and delight in a wide diversity of arts and cultures. My brother is a successful painter in Florida, and my sister is a sculptor in Philadelphia.

     In 1974 I received my BFA from Stephens College. After teaching in Vanderbilt University's theatre department as Designer-in-Residence, I moved to Los Angeles in 1980 working as a costumer and designer in the movie and television industry. With my brother’s encouragement I resumed painting and started to show in Florida and Los Angeles galleries in 1992. In 2000, I retired from film and happily moved to Tucson to concentrate on painting.

     Painting with oils is a constant study for me, whether the subject is a landscape, still life or figurative piece. Capturing the atmosphere, light and feel of a subject creates a wistful nostalgia, and that is my major goal. The inner light or opalescent glow of the painting is a balancing of vivid, complementary colors. I love to create drama with the punch of light and dark coupled with bravura brushwork to emulate movement.     —Zoe Hale