Dana Hatalsky was born in 1978. She was raised in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She attended both the Pittsburgh Middle and High school for the Creative and Performing Arts, graduating in 1996. She later attended Maryland Institute College of Art for two years before returning to Pittsburgh in 2001. She lives in Ross Township with her husband, Andrew, and her three young children.

She produces works from her home. Her process is truly a family affair. As she often forages for materials, her children are alongside her collecting as well. All of her handmade frames and stands are crafted by her husband, Andy, who also collects, critiques, and contributes to her creative process. She enjoys working in an array of mediums -- combining them in traditional and nontraditional forms. She uses organic and natural materials that are gathered locally and responsibly, or that come from family, friends, and travels.

Dana is greatly influenced by her faith and the Devine design she sees in the natural world around her. She draws on the idea of creating with the creator. She focuses on the shapes, color, texture, and relationships that occur in nature, finding ways to mimic, contrast, and play with that has already been provided.

Although Dana has been producing art for most of her life, her works are only recently being exhibited publicly. In the summer of 2016, she began a series of works focusing on "Divinity and Nature," which was presented at the NHAC in August of 2017. She is currently working on new pieces; continuously expanding her knowledge of the materials and our connection to the nature that surrounds us.