Hale Trotter began studies in design school at NCSU. He studied painting at "Thistledown art Studio", family run, near Hot Springs, Virginia. He learned much about painting en plein-air from the many artists who taught at Thistledown, and also learned of the Taos art colony at this time. Hale has painted extensively, in locations such as Virginia, Guatemala, Provence, Paris, Belgium, Italy, Sydney, Tasmania, Colorado, New Mexico, Amsterdam, California, Hawaii, and Maine, etc. Trotter has won awards for his paintings and his work is in high demand, in a career that spans over twenty five years.