Growing up in a family that promoted creativity and art, it’s no surprise Lisa Moore is an artist.

But that’s not always been her career.

“My degrees are not in art,” she said, pointing out she has a bachelor’s degree in recreation with a concentration in wellness from University of West Georgia in Carrollton.

The Decatur woman then earned her master’s degree in quality systems from Southern PolyTech State University in Marietta. This led to her job as Gwinnett Health System’s director of organizational improvement,  in which she managed customer service initiatives among bettering other programs.

She left her job to raise her baby, which ultimately led to her pursuing her art.

“I left the corporate world when I was about 38, and I started painting and just turned it into a career,” Moore said.

The new career path gave her the flexibility she desired.

“I had always painted, but I had just started painting even more,”  Moore said, noting she joined the Atlanta Artists Center. “(I) just learned about the whole business of art (and) just decided to make that my next thing.”

And she’s done an impressive job with that.

“I’m represented by about six galleries in the South and then I do a lot of commission work,” Moore said.

Currently, one of her pieces is on display until Feb. 20 at the Quinlan Visual Art Center in Gainesville. It is in the “Seeing is Believing” show, which is part of the center’s Winter Exhibitions.

Moore describes her artwork as figurative with usually the female form or horses.

“Those are the same thing for me,” she said. “The horse kind of represents the power of the feminine for me. That’s what you’ll see especially in the show in Gainesville right now. Very loose and abstract, that kind of thing.”

As for her inspiration, Moore explained she’s trying to capture the form but also lose the form at the same time.

“It may not be beautiful to everyone, but it’s something that’s beautiful to me in some way,” she said.

Moore added inspiration is typically trying to convey some sort of feeling.

“Whether I was actually conveying that feeling or not, it’s always interesting to hear what the viewer finds when they see my work. What do they feel? How does it touch them? That’s kind of my whole goal.”

Moore developed her pieces specifically for the show and is honored to be a part of the group.

“I’m thrilled to be in the company of these other artists that are in the show,” Moore said. “Being in such a beautiful space that the Quinlan has to offer, the way that they show our work, the way that they promote our work, all of those things are just wonderful.”

For more information, visit www.quinlanartscenter.org/winter-exhibitions-2016-2017.html.