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 Artist website: 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

Arielle is originally from Memphis, TN, but has called Pensacola her home for the past 2 years. After the Air Force brought her and her husband here, she quickly fell in love with our area. Arielle has always been into the arts and has taken classes in the area of study since a child. Her talents in art do not end with painting, though – she even pursued (and completed) a Bachelor's Degree in Fashion Design at Mississippi State University before undertaking becoming a licensed pilot. Arielle found herself drawn to working at PWAT because she wanted to find a fun job where she could express her creativity and love for teaching – and we’re so glad she found us! Arielle fits beautifully in with our friendly energetic staff and thrives while enjoying seeing how proud her students are of their work they complete with her. When not at PWAT, You can find Arielle up in the sky, flying a plane, running a RunDisney race, or at a family reunion with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (yes you read that right :p ) Instagram: aerial_arielle

Rae C

While originally from Huntsville, Alabama, Rae moved to Pensacola with her partner in 2016. After spending time with family in the area, they fell in love with our city and decided to make Pensacola their home, even buying a house to establish themselves here. Rae mostly showcases her talents in her personal art through the forms of drawing and painting, but is not limited to those in her repertoire! Rae dabbles in many forms of art, including performance, with 13 years of Opera training and being cast in shows like La Boheme since the 5th grade. A woman of many talents, Rae loves to spend her time creating Dungeons & Dragons characters for herself and her friends. She loves capturing the absurd and silliness in her work. After attending several classes at various PWATs, Rae decided that working as an instructor was a perfect fit for her, combining her love of working with people and nurturing her ever-growing love for painting. Her favorite part of teaching is exactly what you would expect from this silly, fun-loving artist: hanging out and joking with the guests as she leads them through creating beautiful artwork step-by-step together. A self-proclaimed nerd, you can find Rae expanding on one of her many hobbies, including, but not limited to: sewing & crocheting, designing for and playing D&D, exploring the endless world of anime and video games, or dying her hair extravagant colors (throw out a suggestion next time you see her, maybe she’ll use it next ?? ). Don’t be fooled by all of her many talents and hobbies -- Rae still finds time, between all of her activities, to take classes working towards her Masters Degree to eventually be a licensed Art Therapist.

Adrianna

Adrianna Campagna is a painter and ceramicist raised in North Florida. Since childhood, Adrianna has always relied on art-making as an outlet for processing their thoughts and emotions. The work Adrianna creates is raw and melancholic; they use their practice as a way of getting to know themself better, confronting their past, fears, and insecurities, and a way of relating to a broader audience. Inspired by growing up in a small southern town, Adrianna often uses animal and nature motifs to deal with personal topics such as issues surrounding identity, childhood and religious trauma, nostalgia, and death. Adrianna attended their first two years of higher education in their hometown at Gulf Coast State College, where they received their Associate’s Degree in Art. From there, Adrianna transferred to the University of West Florida in Pensacola, where they received their Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts, and subsequently started their post-grad journey with Painting With a Twist!

Isabelle W.

Courtney S