About The Artist

For over 30 years, Dawn Pharris has loved the challenge of taking photographs of nature and transforming them into oil paintings. Even as a young child growing up in East Tennessee, Dawn was attracted to art. But it wasn’t until 1987 when she met her future mother-in-law, Artist Shirley Pharris, that her interest would ignite into a life-long passion for drawing and painting.

For the next 25 years, Dawn worked on her craft, enjoying the challenge of creating oil paintings that depict nature and still life in an almost photo-like quality. She taught tole-painting classes, painted plein air, and has taken commissions for her works of art. From 2007-2016, she decided to share her love of drawing with children and started two children’s drawing classes. In 2013, she began an adult oil painting class—working with both experienced and beginner students—which she taught in Franklin, Tennessee until the virus.

Gaining inspiration from the beauty she discovers on trips with her husband, Dawn captures the intricate details of florals and landscapes through the use of color. She also focuses attention on the interplay between light and shadow on subjects. For her, painting is not just a hobby. It is an opportunity to connect to God through creativity by bringing life to a blank canvas. Her ultimate desire is that people who view her paintings will have a better appreciation for God’s creation, seeing the world differently.