What Ann loves most about painting is how it makes her focus on her environment, even when she's not painting at that moment. Unremarkable activities like a drive down the freeway become exciting when she tries to figure out how she'd paint the light on the trees, the reflections in the cars, the color of the mountains. She paints almost exclusively on location, and the hours spent completely absorbed in the scene make it a memory that stays vivid long after she finishes the painting. It has enriched her life tremendously.

Currently, she's working mostly in pastels, and she's predominantly painting landscapes. S had been sketching for several years when her sister Lily gave her a set of pastels and urged Ann to branch out into color. She liked using them, especially after her friend Patti Flynn gave her a few lessons and encouraged her to keep going. Ann enjoyed the process, but it was when she started taking Adult Education classes that what had been just a diversion from her work as an engineer turned into a consuming passion. She looks forward to pursuing it for the rest of her life.

Ann's husband, Gerry Winant, paints in oils, and they treasure the time they spend painting outdoors together.

Born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1950 and lived there until she was 17. At that time, her parents moved her family to Santa Barbara.

Education

University of California, Santa Barbara : Ph.D. Physics, 1979

Santa Barbara Adult Education: Plein Air and Figure Drawing classes. Composition study with Jim Armstrong.

Workshops:
Chris Chapman, Glenna Hartmann, Michael Drury, Thomas Van Stein, Marcia Burtt, Mark Kerckhoff, Richard Schloss, Sally Strand, Albert Handell, Stanley Goldstein, Jean LeGassick, Randall Sexton, Richard McKinley, Arturo Tello, Frank Serrano

Affiliations

Pastel Society of America (Signature Member), The Oak Group, California Art Club (Artist Member), Santa Barbara Art Association, Goleta Valley Art Association, SCAPE.