Savannah Winters
Meet West Virginia artist Savannah Winters of Meadow Monarch!
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
My name is Savannah Winters, and I am currently a full-time mom, part-time freelance fine artist! I live in Fairmont, WV with my husband, small son, dog, cat, and all my plant bebes. I was born in Charleston, WV and grew up in a small town in Northwestern, PA called Oil City. Besides painting, I’m very into reading (especially fantasy), propagating/caring for my plants, dancing to music, random creative projects, making herbal teas or coffee, yoga, and going on family “adventures”.
What drew you to your craft?
I’ve been drawn to art ever since I was a kid. I always wanted to draw or paint all over everything, even when I was small toddler. Throughout middle school and most of high school my medium of choice was graphite or colored pencils, eventually chalk and oil pastels as well. It was always a drawing of some sort. It was not until my senior year that I started to really try painting. Later when I went off to college and finally became an art major, I took a few different painting classes and loved all of them. I didn’t get into the paint I currently use (acrylic gouache) until the beginning of 2022 and I haven’t looked back. I still do other creative projects and use lots of different mediums, but the one I use most of the time now is acrylic gouache paint. Painting is one of the best expressive art mediums that you can use. It's really helped me to become more expressive and loose with my work and I think its been for the better!
What is your favorite thing you have ever made?
As of this moment it would be the coasters I’m making right now. I love candles and am always buying them. When buying them I tended to get the ones with the wooden lids. I decided to start repurposing them as drink coasters with hand-painted and hand-carved designs. Decorative in appearance while also being functional. Out of the ones I’ve done, my current favorite is the sunset and mountain landscape.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I was always changing my mind about this, but it usually involved something creative or involving animals/nature in some way. When I got a bit older and was very into reading books, I thought I would become an illustrator. To be the person who gave form to the fanastical places, people, and beings in the fantasy books I was obsessed with. You can see this influence with a lot of the subject matter or symbolism within my current paintings.
How would you describe your creative process?
It usually starts with the initial “spark” of inspiration that could have been from something I’d just seen, read, heard, or just some idea that popped into my head. I usually try to write down any ideas that pop into my head. Because even if I don’t use it that moment, I know I can come back to it later. I recommend any creative keeping something on their notes app or a little notebook for this reason. Once I start having an image of the painting in my head, I’ll start looking for all the references I need so I can photoshop, using my ipad to create a rough idea of placement and orientation of objects within the space and with each other. Lately I’ve also been into creating decorative borders around the painting to give them a more elegant appearance.
What advice would you give yourself 10 years ago?
If I could give my 16-year-old self advice, I would have told myself that I am so much more than what people thought about me. The opinions made about me, true or not, didn’t matter if I was staying true to myself. To stand confident in my own thoughts and ideas. To keep growing and learning as much as possible about what I was genuinely interested in. That that was how I would figure out who I was to truly step into my power.
Why is it important to support local artists and makers?
Even in the day and age of social media, it's hard to make it as an artist or maker of any kind. Every artist comes from a community and most make it a priority to use their craft to give back to their community. Art brings people from diverse backgrounds and can give them common ground to connect on. There is no community without connection. Also I know we all love to order cute stuff we’ve found on Amazon, but the knowledge that you're helping someone feed their family over feeding into another multibillion-dollar corporation makes it worth it to support local makers of all kinds.
Why do you love doing what you do?
I love having the freedom to express my thoughts and ideas. To be able to share them with others who can connect with me and my work is just an added bonus. Art has brought me some of the most important people and friendships in my life. I love creating art that people can enjoy and vibe with!
What advice do you have for others who want to start their own business?
It’s okay to be a beginner, to allow yourself to ask others for help or advice. To find the people that will support you and help you while you strive for your dreams. Everyone wants to be good and perfect right away, take a chance on yourself. You never know how far you can go if you don’t even start.
You can find Savannah’s prints and original painted plaques in the shop!
Find more of Savannah’s work on Instagram!