Click any image to enlarge and view actual size.

Connie Winters

A professional artist for the past four decades, Connie Winters has emerged as a strong influence on the art scene in the Southeastern United States. Citing the work of classic French Impressionists as an ongoing source of inspiration in her own artwork, Winters naturally gravitates to France, particularly the rural regions of Provence and Dordogne, as locations for her landscapes.

Connie Winters has a unique sensitivity to color. "I see so much color and I’m drawn to it," she explains, "I think I see more than most people; while some would look at a road and see gray asphalt I will see shades of lavender, blue and even red. It’s just the way it appears to me."

Winters’ unusual gift for color has enabled her to excel as a painter, capturing the lush splendor of spring gardens and other colorful scenes on canvas in rich, brilliant hues. She paints intimate interiors, sunny landscapes and riots of flowers, using color as a way of "expressing happiness." A passionate gardener, Winters cultivates her arbors, paths and flowers, encouraging color as on her canvas.

 For this North Carolina artist, color is a key ingredient in each of her paintings. "When I’m painting, it’s almost like a puzzle, putting colors together," she explains. "Putting cool reds and warm reds together creates such excitement. Excitement involves the viewer."

Winters travels to France each year, crediting the provincial lifestyle she experiences there with giving her a renewed sense of spirituality and a fresh desire to create her vibrant landscapes. Her approach to the canvas is that of active observer, intent on recording the interplay of color and light as it progresses in each composition. Through her energetic interpretations of nature and local color, Winters uses the canvas to convey her enthusiasm to the viewer, inviting them to participate in the unfolding scene.

Though most of Connie's time must be devoted to painting, she does put some time into instruction. Over the past several years Winters has conducted annual workshops in North Carolina and various regions of Europe, particularly the Dordogne region in rural France. She is known for her excellent teaching skills.

Winters' works are found in many notable private and corporate collections including: the personal collection of John Randolph Hearst, Jr., the Coca-Cola Collection, and the Duke Mansion in Charlotte, NC. Her work also resides in the permanent collections of several academic institutions including: Wingate University, North Carolina; and in South Carolina, at Erskine College and Presbyterian College.