Kathy Winkler began her career as an artist when she was very young. She used to draw animals at school and at home. And as she became an adult and her daughters grew to be teenagers, she began to work as an engineering graphics artist doing patent drawings and supporting Navy contracts. Kathy became manager of engineering projects dealing with naval combat warfare systems. Later on, she obtained her Master of Arts in International Studies, and completed the work in England at Oxford University. After 2 decades in government contracting she decided to go back to one of her true loves, that is creating paintings of animals. Kathy has visited parks and ranches from the Rockies to Virginia, south to Texas and north to the Dakotas looking for potential subjects for her paintings. Wherever she visits, she studies the animals, and watches how they move and how they watch.
She watches the animals sometimes for hours, and when she sees them being themselves, she takes photos for future painting prospects. When painting them, she attempts to capture not just what they are, but also the spirit that they are. When she paints, she emphasizes not on the background, but on the subject, in order to allow the subjects to better reveal who they are. Over the past almost 20 years, her style has changed, but her subjects remain the same. Kathy has been recognized by museums that are animal oriented. She has paintings in the museums permanent collections and has had shows at those museums.
