For artists in Natchitoches, they may find inspiration from a town that can cater to so many of their artistic needs, such as getting ideas from the Christmas festival, the old historic building or even while watching a tourist get their first taste of the Natchitoches life on Front Street.

Sheryl Hatcher, a local artist in Natchitoches, has been creating art for two years now and is inspired by the city of Natchitoches to help further her ideas. The city also helped her rekindled her passion for art.

A native of New Orleans, Hatcher started painting in her junior and senior year in high school where she fell in love with the art of turning a blank canvas into her own masterpiece.

“I spent most of my senior year in the art studio because I only needed one credit to graduate,” Hatcher said.

For her that journey only lasted two years before she stopped for her future, her marriage and her kids. Finally, after 52 years of being away from the paintbrush, it was time for her to come back.

“I had retired, and my husband was saying that I needed something to do, and I did. I had retired, I was at home and my kids were all grown so I needed to find something to do,” Hatcher said.

After marinating on the idea, she spoke to her friend at the Natchitoches Art Guild and Gallery, Joan Edwards, about stepping back into the world of art and there she was introduced to another lovely artist in Lafayette, Hazel Nowlin.

“She showed me this alcoholic ink art piece done by Hazel Nowlin, and I just fell in love with it, so I bought it right there on the spot, took it home and looked up on YouTube everything about alcoholic ink,” Hatcher said.

That moment is when she finally decided to get back into painting. She began her new journey beginning with alcoholic ink, moving into acrylic ink, pastel, oils and cold wax. She has been testing all sorts of mediums, and through all her work and testing she has found her style, and her people.

“I love painting people, I love painting people doing things not just posing, just doing things they love to do,” Hatcher said.

She gets most of her inspiration to create art from people through her family, people close to her family and even people from all over town. She has worked with many local faces in and around the city of Natchitoches, while she captures them during their everyday activities; it’s something she finds beautiful.

“I have done Kenny, who works at Kaffie-Fredricks, he sits out at one of the benches early in the morning and I painted him. He was one of the very first people I painted around here,” Hatcher said.

Hatcher has also created two characters, which are often paired together, that seem to be making recurring appearances in her artwork known as Maurice and Tick. Maurice being the boy in the blue overalls and Tick being the dog that has become the loyal companion to Maurice.

“There was a picture that was going around during the depression, I can’t remember the artist, but the government sent photographers to go photograph life,” she said. “She took a photo of a family down on Cane River, and it was a little boy who was in the picture with his dog, so I named them Maurice and Tick… and that’s what I am starting to do in my local landscapes.”

For Hatcher, she is very happy to be here in Natchitoches and to be given the opportunity to be able to paint again. Now working at the Natchitoches Art Guild and Gallery, she has been able to surround herself with some wonderful women who have inspired her and made her feel welcomed.

“Working here is kind of what I imagine a sorority would be like, we do have one man, but the rest are all women. I do feel like I have been able to find my voice and style being here,” Hatcher said.