Joan Winter works in a range of mediums to explore the fleeting nature of light as it affects color, atmosphere, and form. In the current social climate of chaos and frequent crisis, she invites the viewer to engage in moments of calm and serenity. She encourages the viewer to think about “how we see” and challenges the tension between seeing and perception. Working in printmaking, painting, and sculpture, Winter reinterprets observations of natural surroundings and landscape to reveal the illusion of changing light over time. She makes intaglio etchings on copper plates and screenprints, often printed on handmade paper from Nepal or Japan. Her process to create abstract paintings on finely woven linen includes multiple layers of transparent oil paint to fuse color and texture. Winter uses the band saw as a drawing tool and beginning point for sculpture. Her materials include light natural woods, cast resin, and steel. She makes ethereal forms emphasizing light as a primary element. Winter’s work is both immediate and timeless. 

Winter worked in architecture for ten years before receiving her MFA from SMU. She studied art and architecture at Texas Tech University. Her solo exhibitions from the mid 1990’s - 2018 include galleries in New York, Chicago, Santa Fe, Houston, Marfa, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. Her work is in the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the Tyler Museum of Art and in numerous collections, both private and public, in the US and UK. She has also been included in exhibitions in Awaji, Japan and Arequipa, Peru. Winter’s work is included in book publications: Texas Abstract: Modern/Contemporary and Flatbed Press at 25 Years and recent catalogues, Joan Winter, Edge of Light and Joan Winter, Japan Prints.