Charlie Eleanor DeRuiter is an oil painter based just south of Atlanta, Georgia. Painting and drawing have always been a natural expression of who she is, giving her a way to translate the internal into something visible. From childhood, she was captivated by light and color, especially the way sunlight moves across surfaces and shadows create contrast. That fascination continues to shape her work today.

Her paintings blend observation with emotion, capturing not only the appearance of a subject but also its energy and presence. She works primarily in oil, with occasional mixed media, creating narrative studio pieces, portraits, and plein air studies. She wants each painting to carry the passion of both the moment and the artist behind it.

Charlie fell in love with painting at sixteen while studying at Young Harris College. Though life eventually led her in other directions, painting never left her. Before and during her studies at the University of Georgia, she also worked professionally as a photographer, an experience that strengthened her eye for light, composition, and timing.

In recent years, Charlie has returned fully to painting. For her, it feels like a homecoming within herself.