In December of 2018, I was in a bind trying to make my dad a Christmas present. My dad was born and raised on the coast of North Carolina where he surfed every day growing up. He and my mom raised me and my siblings in the same town he grew up in where he taught me to surf as a kid. Because of our mutual love for the ocean I decided to try and paint him a wave... In the following months I made an Instagram and spent nearly every single day trying to perfect my technique after school. What started out as friends and family members paying me back for material cost quickly escalated into much more than a hobby. I launched gracebellart.com in August of 2019. Since then I have sold to all 50 states and 7 different countries. On February 15th of 2025, I married my best friend David Hesmer, who gives me so many great ideas and has cheered me on every step of the way. We live in Morehead City, where I was born and raised, and are right down the road from my shop where this all started. I am so thankful I get to paint every day and share my life with others through art and the love of the ocean.