VIRGINIA POTTER

I’m an Arkansas artist, who continues to be inspired by the natural beauty of the land and its people. I developed a rich imagination as a child, visualizing people, events and places as I listened to stories told by my grandparents. This ability has served me well over my lifetime as an artist. I’ve lived in the Conway area off and on for many years, opening my first studio there in 1973. Soon after that I was fortunate to be one of the founding members of the Conway League of Artists. Since that time I’ve lived in Conway, Arkansas and Flint, Michigan where I’ve taken advantage of educational opportunities available in each area. I studied art at the University of Central Arkansas, the Arkansas Arts Center and Michigan’s Flint Institute of Fine Arts. While living at my husband’s home in Flint, Michigan I earned an Associates degree in Fine Arts from C.S. Mott College. Over the years I have used a wide variety of media to make art and each won my heart for a time. I taught oil painting for years at my studio in Conway and studied metalsmithing and other three-dimensional work in college. While the basic principles and elements of art remain constant, each media has a unique character and speaks to the artist in its own way. I’ve been using watercolors and acrylics exclusively for the last two decades. I find that I can create any mood or feeling I’m after with one of these two water-based media, choosing one or the other depending on the subject matter and the statement I want to make. Switching from one media to the other helps me to be more creative by constantly forcing me to seek new solutions to old problems. I am excited about once again living in Conway and having the opportunity to paint the beautiful Arkansas countryside. My husband and I share our lives with two sons, who have been with us for a dozen years. They are a constant source of encouragement and inspiration and add greatly to my creative insights. I am currently serving as president of the Conway League of Artists, and am active in the Arkansas League of Artists and a member of Mid-Southern Watercolorists.