Painting by Janine Winters

Janine Winters Painting at EaselJanine at the easel

One of Janine’s passions is painting. It is something she started doing when she lived in Florida, but she has continued with it through the years, even attending a workshop for technique with oils and acrylic paints.

During the time she was married to Richard in Florida she discovered he was more than a good ranch hand. He also had a talent for painting and she asked him to teach him. He agreed to help, but even better, to find an instructor.

From her memoir, French Twist, page 199:
Richard agreed to help me and even decided to find a teacher for us. Mr. E.B. Stowe turned out to be a great discovery. He was a wonderful artist and a wise old man. His studio was on the shore of the Saint John River. 

We met him there every Saturday morning at nine for lessons from him. Soon, our art teacher was visiting me at the ranch. I drove him around for hours, which he loved, especially the horses. He also wanted to visit the palm forest where there were many ancient Indigenous mounds. His way of thanking me for these tours was to paint me a beautiful picture of huge palms. Such a treasure!

Janine kept learning and practicing and has become quite proficient in her painting ability.

Girl and sandcastle paintingA girl making a sandcastle
Bird over the lake paintingPainting of a bird flying over a lake

Also on page 230 she relates her continued love of painting later in life:
Since I wasn’t working, I found myself painting more and more, even joining the Jane Studio in Milwaukee where I received practice and instruction. 

I met Simone Rogina there, a very special student. She was French-born, and with that connection, we got along famously. Sometimes it made other students upset if we spoke French, but we enjoyed the conversations. We both also spoke Spanish fluently, so sometimes, just for fun, we switched between the languages. Simone was a delight and a talented artist. I was always grateful for the time I took to develop my painting skills. It was something I was passionate about and, even after many years, still enjoy.

fishing and painting near mountainsA painting of fishing near mountains