After decades of fostering creativity in others, Dave Hawbaker and Frances Hawbaker have turned the lens back toward their own practice. As retired art educators, their shared life has been a long-running conversation about color, form, and the necessity of making art. Now fully immersed in their private studios, they transition from mentors to full-time makers. While Dave explores technical processes in silver point and painting with a specific narrative imagery,  Frances focuses on painting, expressive mark-making, and tactile intimacy of mixed media. Together, their work represents a "second act" dedicated to the pure joy of the creative process.

A fine art husband and wife team transitioning from careers as high school art educators to full-time creative practice often embodies a unique blend of technical mastery, pedagogical mentorship, and a deeply collaborative lifestyle. These artists frequently leverage their background in teaching to create art that is both conceptually rigorous and technically proficient, often exploring themes of memory, narrative, and material experimentation.

• Blending Styles: Husband and wife artists often develop complementary, yet distinct styles, where the influence of one is evident in the other—such as the blending of a brighter palette with more structured forms.
• Collaborative Creativity: They often share a space, working side-by-side. This shared environment is an opportunity to share dreams, ideas, and the joy of creation.
• Shared Studio/Separate Work: While many share a space, it is common to have separate, individual practices while sharing the same studio and offering critique to one another.
• Diverse Mediums: They often explore a wide range of mediums, ranging from oil painting to sculpture, sometimes even sharing a canvas or collaborating on a single piece.