Our Pensacola, FL Painting with a Twist Artists

Katie Noelle Thomas (Manager)

Starting with Honolulu, HI, and going as far as Long Island, NY, Katie has relocated across our country her whole life. Never hailing from one location longer than three years in her adolescence, and being second of six military brats from her parents, Katie is a true child of the nation. From a young age, Katie immersed herself in arts & crafts, music, and theatre, and continued to grow her art with herself. After many hours of self-teaching herself cartoon recreations, specifically finding her love in Pokémon characters, Katie made the plunge to apply to art school, where she obtained her BA in Studio Art from the University of Mary Washington. After years of reproducing other's creations to hone her skills, Katie finds great catharsis in molding her own imaginings in her personal work. Drawing inspiration from the human figure, nature, and the absurd, Katie attempts to capture both the reality and silliness of the world and its misgivings. Previously focusing on charcoal and pencil, Katie recently challenges herself by using inks and oil paints -- less forgiving materials, forcing her to embrace her "happy little accidents."                  Katie was drawn to Painting With a Twist after a spur of the moment decision she and her partner made to move to the Pensacola area in February 2022, based on job opportunities in his field. After setting up her internet next door, Katie walked into PWAT knowing that our studio would soon be her second home. After securing herself a spot in the PWAT family, Katie quickly realized that this was the best decision she could have made; the position combining her love of paint, people, and performance! Instagram: @ktnoelle_art Website: www.ktnoelleart.com

Doug Holsworth

A Pensacola native and Army veteran, Doug has taught in the public schools for over 30 years, with 27 years as the Band Director at Escambia High School. He is now at Pensacola State College, where he directs the Concert Band, Jazz Band and the Pensacola Civic Band. He has painted as a hobby his entire adult life and done design work for the band programs in the area; including most of the band uniforms currently use in the Escambia County School District as well as props, color guard uniforms and flags. After taking classes at Painting With a Twist, Doug realized he could combine his love of painting and teaching into a single activity, and joined the Pensacola studio in May of 2021. He works in oil at home, and the subject matter has varied widely over the decades, but for the last few years he has focused on the beautiful beaches of his hometown here on the Emerald Coast. His personal style tends toward photorealism, rendering the movement of water and waves with depth and vibrancy. A real Renaissance man, you can also catch Doug onstage from time to time at Pensacola Little Theatre in roles like George Banks in “Mary Poppins” or Santa Claus in “Miracle on 3th Street” – which led to his current bearded appearance as he continues to play Santa Claus for various non-profit events around the area. For Commission Work you may contact Doug @ Doughols@cox.net Website: www.dougholsdesigns.com

Kay Estrada

Avery Battiste

Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Avery has found a home here in Pensacola with her mom while she works towards her Associates Degree in Art. Starting at a young age with inked zentangles and mandalas, Avery has grown her art through self-practice and constant courses throughout grade school. Aside from art on paper or canvas, Avery excels at creating exotic, colorful makeup art. Lately, Avery focuses on using charcoals and pencils to render more realistic styles, capturing the fine details of still life and figure drawing. After years of practice, Avery decided to enroll in Pensacola State College as an art major. Avery’s main goal in life is to have a job involving art -- in fact, one day she hopes to own her own business selling accessories, home décor, and clothing that she would design. She was so excited to find Painting With a Twist, where the staff is a welcoming family and her job would be centered around art. A dream come true, Avery was so grateful to find a job fitting her desires so perfectly after being a local for such a short amount of time. Avery indulges in being able to inspire, encourage, and guide people through a painting they would have never expected to be able to produce otherwise. Aside from being an enthused artist, Avery loves to soak up all things nature and meet every cat she possibly can, so do her a favor and show her your cat’s best mugshot! Instagram: @mysticaves.art

Arielle S

Isabelle W.

Garrett Allen

Born in Pensacola, Garrett has frequented our beautiful beaches and city his whole life, even while growing up in rural Gateswood, Alabama. Enthralled with art from an early age, Garrett decided to attend Pensacola State College where he took the first step in his artistic career by receiving his Associates Degree. Once more of a vacation spot, Pensacola began feeling more like home to Garrett during his studies; he eventually solidified his locality here by purchasing a home with his partner. Determined to keep furthering his art, Garrett enrolled at the University of Alabama to receive his BA in Primary Painting and an Interdisciplinary Secondary in Glassblowing, Ceramics, and animation. Garrett continues to further his education by taking workshops led by nationally acclaimed artists – one of his favorite experiences was getting to work with an artist who worked on Disney’s The Lion King. Ever-continuing to build his resume, Garrett now has his eyes set on becoming re-established in the Juried Art Show scene. In his personal works, Garret currently focuses heavily on human figure, but has spread his wings to create everything from Abstract and Non-Objective, to Realism and Portraiture. While many of you know Garrett for his beautiful paintings, his talents do not end there; ask him about his ceramics and ever-growing collection of vases, mugs, and dishware he creates. Ever the determined artist, Garrett looked far and wide for careers that would fit in with his degree, and found a perfect fit here at Painting with a Twist. Garrett immediately excelled on the stage, enthralling classes with his whimsical humor and his contagious laugh. While usually at PWAT either managing or performing as a stage artist, on his off-days you can probably find Garrett sniffing around at comic book stores or batman conventions – beware, his obsession goes deep! Follow on Instagram! @capecowlcreator

Maureen Humphrey

Maureen is just about as close to a Pensacola native as you can be. Even though Maureen was born in Pittsburgh, PA, she has spent most of her life here in P’cola, after she moved for family job opportunities. Maureen found her way to PWAT after being a long-time regular customer! Her natural knack for painting coupled with her leadership skills, built up from years in the classroom as a middle school science teacher, help her shine through as an obvious addition to our team. In her personal work, Maureen loves to use pencil and pen & ink to capture the world around her, drawing inspiration from her surroundings and nature (speaking of her love for nature, ask her about the time she hand-fed a hippo!). While privately she often focuses on sketching, Maureen is no stranger to painting, and leads classes effortlessly – her time spent on the other side of the classroom helping her think of every question and struggle a patron may have; accommodating to even the most inexperienced of painters. Maureen takes great pride in creating a fun, relaxing atmosphere for the painters to fully enjoy the process of creation. When not teaching science or painting, Maureen loves to dive into her Greek heritage. You can find her enjoying the Greek festivals, representing her proud half-Grecian genes, and cooking all sorts of delicious Mediterranean food to enjoy with her family.

Marcy Moon

Marcy Moon grew up in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, moved a couple times and finally moved over to Pensacola to finish her bachelors degree in studio art, with a concentration in painting. In 2010, a Painting with A Twist studio opened in Pensacola, which would provide the perfect job for her personality and abilities. The opportunity to instruct all different types of individuals, most of whom have no confidence in art, turned out to be a unexpected fulfillment she hopes will continue to carry on in her life. She pulls inspiration from her obsessions, whether it be from the geek mythos or classic mythos, and ties them into most of her artwork. Portraiture and the study of the human figure are another obsession of hers, providing her with the excitement and drive of creating a realistic image from brushstrokes and paint. Her first time love is oil paints, but has worked almost exclusively in acrylic for the past 6 years. She is also proficient in pastels, graphite and ink. And has been known to dabble in the digital world here and there. She currently resides in Pensacola, Florida, with her husband, daughter, and a small menagerie of animals. Follow her on all the things: @marcymoonart

Courtney S

Adrianna