Debra Paysinger taught high school science and math for 10 years before she had her third child and decided to pursue art. Though she’s had a passion for needlepoint since the ’70s, it wasn’t until all the kids learned to drive that she began painting.
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Now an artist for 14 years, Paysinger’s favorite subjects include birds—hers in particular happen to be grouchy ones. You could definitely say the art- ist’s master’s degree in biology has informed her subject matter, as she also paints lures, sea life and rabbits—or raddits, as she endearingly refers to them. She even trademarked the term “the raddit” as her own. Paysinger gives a different human name to every bird she paints. While she has prints available for a few of her sub- jects, she doesn’t sell reproduc- tions of her birds and raddits. She says, “I think it adds a uniqueness to the whole thing.” You can find Paysinger’s works in Studio 151 Gallery in Charleston and Ellen Taylor Interiors + Design in Columbia.