WHEN Karen Hewitt Hagan first picked up a paintbrush in the early 1980s, she could never have imagined the path that would eventually be hers to take. A career television and radio salesperson for 20 years, she finally took a leap of faith and followed her desire to become an artist, and when she realized that she could actually make a second career of it, she opened up her own gallery in 2010.

Initially launched in a small space on State Street in Charleston, Hagan Fine Art Gallery & Studio became known as the showplace of artists curated from around the world. Six years later, the gallery had grown enough to occupy a larger space on King Street. As was her intention, Hagan and gallery director Allison Hull created something different in the Charleston art scene, bringing in works by a global collection of painters and sculptors who showed incredible talent and giving them a new audience.

As much success as the gallery had, however, the pandemic spurred a shift in its operations and inspired a bold move that has given it room to grow. Hagan closed the brick-and-mortar location and has launched a completely online gallery. The move has allowed the expansion of inventory and artists. Work is sold online and then delivered to clients’ homes. The warehouse storage facility is open to view artwork by appointment.

Hagan Fine Art offers the works of more than 35 artists, including masters from France, Italy and Crimea, as well as exciting talent from across America. Carefully curated and selected during extensive travel, the artists represented on the gallery website show Hagan and Hull’s keen eye for talent and their desire to shine a light on these masterpieces. From realism and impressionism to abstract and figurative, the gallery showcases a wide range of styles and encourages a mixture of artists in clients’ homes.

Among particular favorites are the exquisite works of Steven Walker, whose luscious cotton paintings pair beautifully with Kyle Buckland’s winter snow scenes. The collection of wonders is great, from David Boyd’s Southern shrimp boats and Mary Garrish’s serene nature scenes to Amy Dixon’s abstract oysters and landscapes, as well as a vast selection of others that Hagan Fine Art Gallery & Studio proudly represents.