Painting has been a lifelong passion for Dorothy Shoemaker. After painting in watercolors for twenty years, she started painting in oils. For her they are the ultimate medium. Dorothy's style reflects her love of color and expressive brushstrokes. Although landscape is her favorite subject, still life is a fascinating diversion. Most of Dorothy's paintings are of the South's coastal and mountain areas that she often visits to do plein-air painting. The towns and countryside of France have become an important part of her work. "I’ve always drawn and painted. It’s never been a question. But I never planned on being a professional painter. It’s just a way life has led me, and I am happy with that. It’s just an expression of me." As a child in Virginia, Shoemaker spent time exploring the woods around her home and drawing what she saw. She got married at 19 and had the first of two sons two years later. Shoemaker has won several local awards with her art, and her prints became popular across the country. She made trips to a publishing house in Houston that printed her works, regularly signing 4,000 prints in 2 ½ days. As her work became well known, her original works sold in galleries as far away as San Diego. Shoemaker is now an established oil painter. She’s painted series for one-woman shows including a series of historical homes in Gaston County. Shoemaker’s attitude toward art affects the way she approaches life. "It’s my job to show a person what’s out there that’s wonderful. Everyone ought to take a drawing class. It teaches them to see."