Bio:

For more than 30 years, Sue Hinkle has called the Awendaw Lowcountry home—a place where creativity, community, and coastal heritage continually inspire her work. A businesswoman, entrepreneur, and artist, Sue’s creative journey is rooted in early memories of watching her father lovingly refinish old family furniture. As a young mother, she continued the tradition, refurbishing pieces of her own and discovering a passion for giving new life to forgotten objects. After retiring from the maritime community in 2010, Sue poured her energy into creative entrepreneurship. In 2013, she founded Shabby Shopper, sparked by the restoration of an old desk that rekindled her love for craftsmanship. By 2016, her furniture pieces were featured in a Charleston store, and she supplied work for a local staging business. Her presence grew through her Facebook page, Shabby Shopper, where she shared her evolving craft. In 2018, Sue’s work expanded across the Lowcountry arts community. A local art shop invited her to renew picture frames—an opportunity that introduced her to painting. A self-taught artist, she began filling refurbished frames with her own artwork. That same year, she launched Bulls Bay Brushes, a division of Shabby Shopper dedicated to handcrafted pieces, and became a vendor at The Station Park Circle, further establishing her presence in the regional creative scene. Sue has continued to grow her reach through a variety of venues and collaborations, including:

• 2021 – One of the first vendors at O&C

• 2023 – McClellanville Arts Council vendor

• 2024 – Vendor at Sweetgrass Mercantile

• 2024 – One of the first vendors at The Southern Welcome

• 2025 – Worship Art featured at St. Andrews art gallery

Today, Sue continues exploring art as a way to connect with people—whether through commission work, live painting, or the stories woven into each piece she creates. Her work reflects her belief that creativity is not only a craft, but a conversation with the world around her.

Artist’s Statement:

“I am a Coastal Artist who explores the nature of time through organic forms—birds, branches, oysters, and other elements gathered from the world around me. In my mixed media work, I look to transform the lost and forgotten into creations that honor renewal, memory, and the quiet rhythms of the natural world. This exhibition is arranged for each guest to encounter the “nature of time” as they view the various artworks, moving from eternal time → living time → cyclical time → seasonal time → personal time. Time is never static, and my hope is that each visitor will enjoy this journey of traveling through nature’s time in many forms.” – Sue Hinkle, Artist