Painter and printmaker Lote Clegg Thistlethwaite was born in Opalousas, Louisiana, on September 3, 1951, to Lote Sr. and Aline Mcquiston Thistlethwaite. While still a child, Lote was encouraged in his artistic pursuits by his mother, who was herself an artist and photographer. After Lote Sr. was killed in action in Korea, 1953, Aline relocated her sons, Lote Jr. and Mark, family to Costa Mesa, California. After graduating from high school Lote attended UC Santa Barbara, where he met his future wife, Jamie, and earned his MFA in 1976. Together, Lote and Jaime started a family as Jamie continued her law studies.

The Thistlethwaite family north to Sonoma County in the late 1970s where Lote opened Eeyore Books in the town of Cotati, and helped found the Sonoma County Book Festival. Jamie would become a public defender. Once they had settled into their new lives, Lote began pursuing art once more, with an interest in both fine and graphic arts. He also began teaching art at Sonoma State University, and would go on to teach at Napa Valley Community College and Pacific Union College as well. He was involved in shows throughout Sonoma and Napa counties. He became a regular participant in local arts scenes involving not only the visual arts but music and literature, as well. 

In 2005 Thistlethwaite and his mother died in a single-car accident in Dixon, California. A travel grant for artists was set up in their memory by the Thistlethwaite Family Trust.