Dana Hawk grew up in rural  Missouri and attended Missouri State University, initially as an art  student but switched to Cell and Molecular Biology her sophomore year,  earning a B.S. She went on to University of Colorado, receiving a M.S. in Physical Therapy and practiced in the field for over a decade. Dana  took up oil painting in 2003, experimenting in a few styles but sticking  to realism, and quickly received requests for canine portraits, which  she still does today and has been published in many magazines such as  The Artist’s Magazine, Metropolitan Magazine, and the New Barker.  Although largely self-taught, Dana has committed to improving her art  through workshops with Jenny Morgan, Paul McCormack, Lee Price, Stephen  Bauman, and Adam Miller. Her realistic paintings of people and animals,  with a touch of whimsy at times, can be seen at Abend Gallery in Denver,  West End Gallery in Corning, and New York.