Artist's Statement

Perhaps best known for her vibrant impressionistic style paintings, Connie Winters has a unique sensitivity to color. “I see color where most people would not notice it. While some would look at a road and say it is black, I will see shades of lavender, blue, or even gold, depending on the light.”

An avid gardener, Winters cultivates colors in her arbors, paths and flowers for year round inspiration. Color is a key ingredient in each of Connie’s paintings. “Painting is like a puzzle”, she explains, “as example, putting cool reds against warm reds creates excitement to capture the viewer”.

Although Winters has painted most of her life, she didn’t initially set out to become a professional until 1985 when her four sons were old enough to not require full time mothering. She decided to sell the antique store she had operated for nine years and become a full time artist. She gave herself two years to develop a defined style and learn how to market her work. Her work started selling through galleries within a short time after that decision.

Connie’s instruction came mostly by way of private lessons from such notable artists as Phillip Moose-Pulitzer Prize for Art, the late Shirley Markham, Alice Steadman, Constantine Chatov, and more recently Mark Chatov, Kevin McPherson, and C.W. Munday. Connie travels to France for a month every year and runs a popular “painting holiday” which allows students to travel there to study painting. Her paintings often reflect her European travels and reveal her ongoing fascination with the French countryside. Several of Connie’s paintings can be found in some of the country’s most prominent private collections, including that of John Randolph Hearst Jr., the Coca-Cola collection, the Duke Mansion in Charlotte, and the permanent collection of Erskine, Presbyterian, and Wingate colleges.

Winters’ work is represented throughout the Southeast in several prominent galleries. Please visit her website at, (www.ConnieWintersArt.com) and from her studio. For more information you can email or call Connie at connie_winters@hotmail.com/704-845-1251.

See exhibits for upcoming shows for 2010.