I’m TJ Candler,  I started pursuing an art career at the University of Tennessee,  where I received my Bachelors in Illustration.  During college, I airbrushed tshirts on the side. Before getting a “real job” in design, I decided to take my airbrushes to Myrtle Beach SC for that first Summer after graduation in 1987 to paint T-shirts!

Long story short,  I was still there,  had painted in shops all along Ocean Blvd, and by 1999, owned my own shop, Airbrush Express,, until 2005. 
This is when I decided to take a break and get that “real job”; so I got an Associates of Science medical degree in Respiratory Care. During that time, I still airbrushed motorcycles on weekends at Bike rallys all around the Southeast, until I began a career as a Therapist in 2007. 

That’s what brought me to Florida where I was an RRT at Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola. 

Art had been off the shelf, but in 2024, I made a big change and needed to start a new journey back into art. I always wanted art to be part of my life, but knew if you love something, you have to go full stride.

So, in 2025, I began learning pastels. Taking that one foot off the brake, and going all in,  has led me to Quayside Gallery. I have so much gratitude for what is unfolding.  By living my authentic self, I am looking forward to this new journey up a higher mountain and making art a central part of my life.