Meet Tammy Daniels | Artist & Barrel racer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tammy Daniels and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tammy, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I have always had the gift to draw from a child. I dabbled with it from time to time as an adult. After retiring from a 32 year career in the rail industry, I finally had time to pursue my dreams of painting for others. I was getting several request for commission work so ventured into making it a small business.


Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Mostly, I paint animals, dogs, horses, cows, and once I painted a goat. The most requests are for the paintings I do on slate. The slate started by chance and was the beginning of my business, Sportraits Specialty Art. At the Southern Rodeo Finals, the barrel racers had always bought small gifts for all the girls that had qualified for the finals. I had already bought the 12 gifts for the girls but this particular year the director changed protocol and we were to draw names and buy one gift. Since I already had money spent and couldn’t return the gifts, I had the idea to do a painting for the barrel racer I had drawn. I went to the creek on my property and found slate pieces and did a painting on the slate for the gift. It was a hit. Who knew?? I have since been buying slate pieces at a nearby quarry. What makes them unique is that I will find the slate that fits the picture the best so each piece is different. They come with a display stand. One of my proudest moments was in 2016 when I had the honor to paint one of my favorite barrel racers, The WPRA asked me to do a portrait of Mary Burger and her horse Mo to present to her at the National Finals Rodeo Star Celebration in Las Vegas. She had qualified to the NFR with the number one back tag and the portrait was a special gift to her for that honor. Back in the day when when only books and magazines were the avenue to learn, I had ordered her book on barrel racing when I was a teenager. So the do this portrait and meet Mary Burger was a special honor for me.

The support from family and friends have made my business really. It’s not been hard. I am blessed to be able to give back to the people that support me with portraits of their special animals that were or are close to their hearts. Sometimes it’s people and not animals, but the request to paint something or someone special that means so much to the person is most rewarding for me. This is why I like to do commission work.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Lexington North Carolina is a small town with small town shops.

A stroll through downtown will invite you to many antique shops for the small town business mom & pop stores.

The town is most famous for the Barbecue. So eating at one or all of the many southern BBQ restaurants would be priority. Vinegar/sugar based bbq with red slaw is a must to have in Lexington.

A popular down town spot would be the Candy Factory. A candy store from yesteryear with wooden floors and any kind of nostalgic candy and items from years back.

While we are visiting downtown it would be interesting to take a tour through the Old Davidson County Courthouse for a bit of history lesson of Lexington.

Of course a day at the Bob Timberlake Gallery wouldn’t be missed either. Bob Timberlake was once an internationally acclaimed realist painter who made his home in Lexington, NC. Not only was his work featured in magazines and newspapers, but he even drew four stamps for the United States Postal Service.

Several wineries have established in Lexington. The Weathervane Winery, Currin Alexander Winery, The Old Homeplace to name a few. But the most popular and famous would be Childress Winery. Wine Estate of former NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, with vineyard tours, tastings & a bistro.

The Goose and the Monkey Brewhouse would be great place to grab lunch and rest our feet. They offer a wide selection of unique, inventive, craft beer brewed in our hometown of Lexington, NC. In addition to a diverse tap list, they also offer local wine, champagne, and a fully functional coffee bar all day.
They support local business and serve a variety of pizza by Pour Folk flatbread pizza along with other fast casual dining.

If wine or craft beer isn’t your cup of tea, Bull City Ciderworks is just around the corner. They craft unique ciders that bridge the gap between wine and beer.

One of the most popular drivers in NSCAR, Dale Earnhardt, was partnered with Richard Childress Racing. The RCR Museum is home to some of the team’s most successful cars and iconic moments outside of the Earnhardt-Childress legacy. So a tour through the RCR Museum would be on the list of your sites for sure.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As a teenager my friend’s mother, Hilda Briggs, was an artist. She taught me how to paint on canvas with acrylics. I stayed with that medium until 2020 when during the Corona Virus quarantine, I took Zoom classes from Adeline Halvorson to learn oil. Since I paint in my home, I had never wanted to use oil because of the smell, but Adeline introduced me to the water based oil paints. So I now paint with either medium. Adeline’s instructional books & videos have also been helpful. Of course I have to give a shout out to my repeat customers that support my small business. A lot of them are rodeo and horseshow friends that want commission works for various reasons.

Facebook: Sportraits Specialty Art

Other: The only form of advertising I do is FB

Image Credits
Adeline Halvorson