Dana Hawley’s early work in the linear realism of biological illustration has gradually evolved into a less objective, more holistic appreciation for the resplendent beauty in nature. Her landscape paintings are impressionistic interpretations of rural Northern California where she lives with her winemaker husband. Expect strong color, expressive brushwork and a sense of movement and gesture in her paintings. Vineyards in all seasons and stages of growth show up in Hawley’s landscapes because she and her family live and farm in the heart of a world famous grape growing region. She regularly takes her easel and supplies out of doors and paints on location, en plein air.

Throughout the many years Hawley has been painting, she has had gallery representation both locally and nationwide (currently Lapis Galley in Denver Colorado). She is a regular participant in Artrails, the annual Sonoma County Open Studio event. Only the finest artists are accepted into this established and prestigious event, which has taken place every October since 1986. Her studio is open by appointment throughout the year. Hawley's website and Hawley Tasting Room and Gallery in Healdsburg display her recent landscapes and figurative nudes.

Hawley was born and raised in Marin County where she grew up hiking the many trails that crisscross Mt. Tamalpais. She received her Bachelor of Art degree, with honors, from the University of California at Davis where she majored in Biological Illustration. She worked in this exacting genre for five years and when the opportunity arose to attend the San Francisco Art Institute and explore the opposite end of the artistic spectrum, she was ready.

Living in the Dry Creek Valley, raising her family and painting is Hawley’s life. She teaches an annual plein air workshop and continues to show and sell her work.