Maud Gatewood was a native of Yanceyville, North Carolina, the only daughter of the Caswell County sheriff. She grew up riding patrols with her father and galloping on her pony, developing—even as a child—a critical eye and vast curiosity which she later recorded on canvas. Gatewood graduated from Woman’s College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro) in 1954 and earned her master’s degree from Ohio State University in 1955. In 1963 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study art in Austria. Following her studies abroad, Gatewood returned to Charlotte and the fledgling UNCC art program, coordinating it from its beginning until 1973. She moved back to Caswell County where she began to cultivate her unique style, which ranged from abstraction to realism. 

Gatewood is considered one of the most important painters in North Carolina’s history. She traveled to India, China, and Africa, painting images from her adventures, but always returned home to paint and participate in local politics in Caswell County, where she lived until her death in 2004. Gatewood’s life and work have been featured in an hour-long documentary film entitled, Gatewood: Facing the White Canvas. Her work is in the collections of many museums and institutions, including the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Mint Museum, the Weatherspoon Art Museum, and the National Museum of Woman in the Arts.

Gatewood received The North Carolina Award in 1984.