Growing up along the Alabama coast and now living in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Braden Grafe has always been surrounded by inspiration for her coastal, impressionistic paintings. She is constantly drawn to the way light filters through the trees, how the marsh shifts from vibrant greens in summer to deep oranges in fall, the changing tides, and the local birds that surround the place she calls home.

Grafe paints in oils and usually reaches for a palette knife over a brush. “There’s something wonderfully freeing about it,” the artist says.

“I love every step of the process: opening a fresh tube of paint, mixing colors, composing a canvas, and trying something new.” She says she often scrapes words from songs, poetry, scripture, or verse right into her paintings. “Those words have grounded me in ways I didn’t expect, giving me a way to share not only my love for painting, but my faith in God, the ultimate Creator.”

Grafe’s education includes:

BFA, Art History, Southern Methodist University
M.Ed., Art Education, The University of South Alabama