Grace Winter is a Chicago born, Chicago based, two-dimensional artist. Her work has been exhibited in several different exhibitions at Northeastern Illinois University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in drawing in December of 2022. Her artwork varies from representational drawings to abstract paintings. Her drawings focus on real-world issues of climate change and human destruction, and her paintings focus on emotion, connection, and the process of life.
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Statement -
For as long as I can remember, I have made connections between people, ideas, objects, and theories; trying to figure out why I view one person as a flower, or another as the sound of a calming ocean wave. I have come to discover the concept of synesthesia; the process of experiencing one of the five senses through another. This exhibition focuses on color, shape, and line, and how I relate these ideas to those that are most important in my life, through synesthesia.
My process involves evaluating the relationships I have with those I care about: family, friends, or mentors, and then considering how I view both our relationship, and that person in general. This evaluation helps me choose a color palette, a pattern of shapes, and designs for line work, which I then use acrylic paint to replicate on a canvas panel. A person who is usually level-headed or enjoys repetition will have a sequence of squares and rectangles in shades of gray that replicate their calm demeanor. A person who I’m extremely comfortable and open with will have a majority of circles, representing our never-ending friendship, or someone who seems like a different person on the outside from on the inside will have a variety of different shapes separated by smaller boxes of their different personality types. The abstract nature of the art combined with the different colors of acrylic paint lets the viewer see a piece of a person they’ve never met before, see them how I see them.