Marriage of colors: Santa Fe-based artist Todd A. Winters chosen as poster artist for Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Holiday Festival
Nov. 23—Todd Abbott Winters takes time each day to dedicate to his creative process.
This entails everything from painting to creating frames or running his gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe.
Though each takes time, each step is necessary to his success.
Winters is one of the artists at this year's Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Holiday Festival at Expo New Mexico.
It is his sixth year in the holiday market and his first as the poster artist, which depicts red and green chile.
"I did the painting about two years ago," he says. "It's a watercolor painting, and it's like Christmas. That's how we order enchiladas."
Winter enjoys the Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Holiday Festival, as he's had a lot of success there.
"I'll have a double booth and will bring about 40 to 50 images. There will be about 30 originals."
The Rio Grande Arts & Crafts Holiday Festival will have the 185 juried artists, as well as live music, artists' demonstrations, a Culinary Arts area with festive food sampling, the Kid's Creation Station and much more.
Festival goers can find one of a kind jewelry, fine art, pottery, woodwork, glass art, ornaments and more, as well as clothing, furniture and handcrafted pieces for the home.
It runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, and Saturday, Nov. 25, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26, at Expo New Mexico.
Winters has painted in two directions during his professional life as an artist — in expressive realism with watercolor and contemporary abstract paintings in acrylic.
While in college at the University of Texas at Austin, he was exposed to more contemporary approaches in painting which was enlightening and inspiring, especially finding Georgia O'Keeffe's work captivating his imagination which led him to the Southwest.
Over the last 40 years, he has always taken time to explore modernism, usually using acrylic paint. As he continues to explore two directions, the acrylic allows him to create large, more expressive paintings compared with his more realistic smaller work in watercolor.
"I call it a marriage of colors," Winters says. "As I've grown as an artist, I'm exploring color more freely and it's very expressive. That comes with confidence and with years of experience."
Winters began his first gallery/studio space in 1989 in Taos, located on Ranchos Church Plaza. Now over the last seven years he has worked in his gallery, Winters Gallery and Studio, in Santa Fe.
He uses the gallery as a painting studio, where he meets and shares his work with visitors from all over the world each day.
"I'm fortunate in having my own space because it affords me the ability to be independent," Winters says. "I've worked for 40 years to be an artist. Along the journey, I've been able to find an audience. Being part of the Rio Grande show opens up the world to more people that will see my art. It's a show that brings a lot to the table for many artists because it gives us a different avenue."
