Walters Art Studio
                        Original Oil Paintings
                              by Michelle Walters

Artist Michelle Walters

Artist Michelle Walters was born and raised in Arizona where she was
strongly influenced by her rural surroundings and the Kansas farming
background of her mother. Her family always had a dog, and as she
was growing up she cared for and loved various pets and livestock.
Her interest in animals eventually extended into Arizona’s natural
inhabitants, such as the birds, rabbits, hares and coyotes living in the
desert and the elk, antelope, squirrels, birds and deer that roamed
the mountains. Still, her fiercest love was always horses.
Her parents gave her a donkey when she was 5, and she
rode her all over town. She bought her first horse
when she was 14 and has owned several since.

Parallel with her love of horses is her passion for art.
Walters says she started drawing and painting long before
she learned to write, with horses and other animals her specialty.
She wasn’t able to find her place in art at college, with the courses
aimed more toward abstract art. That all changed in 1995 when she
discovered artist Sam Savitt was teaching at a local art school. Savitt,
who died in 2000, is well-known around the world for his paintings,
drawings and illustrations of horses. Walters took his workshop
five times. According to Walters it helped loosen up her rusty
skills, and she learned to draw horses from life. Since then she has
studied hard and learned to paint in oil, from still life to portrait
to plein air landscape and now finally back to horses.

She is represented by the Beresford Gallery in Unionville, Pennsylvania
Beresford Gallery

She also has affiliations with numerous artist groups. Her artwork
has been exhibited a dozen times over the past few years.
She recently became the official artist and
photographer of the North Scottsdale Polo Club.

General Education
PhD Texas A&M University, 1993 ~ Management Information Systems, Decision Support
MS, Texas A&M University, 1983 ~ Entomology, Crop Protection
BS, Arizona State University, 1976 ~ Agri-Business, Livestock Production

Fine Art Education
Scottsdale Artist's School
American Academy of Equine Art and Fechin Art Institute

Solo Exhibition
Scottsdale Artist's School, Friend's Wall, 2005

Group Exhibitions
Beaux Arts Charity Auction, Scottsdale Artist's School, 2005, 2007
Barns and Farms, Barnsite Gallery, 2006
Turner Benefit Art Auction, 2006
Fletcher Benefit Art Auction, 2006
Arizona Artists Guild, Memories of the West Show, 2006
Art Show at the Dog Show, 2006
Spring Juried Exhibition at Grady Gammage Auditorium, ASU, 2004, 2006
Fall Open Juried Exhibition, American Academy of Equine Art, Lexington, KY, 2003, 2004, 2005
PETsMart Charities, 2005
International Exhibition of Animal Artists, 2005
The Best and the Brightest, Scottsdale Artist's School, 2003, 2004, 2005
Arizona Artist's Guild, Spring and Fall Shows 2004, 2005 (Award of Merit )
Oil Painters of America, Regional Show, 2004
Fall Open Exhibition, American Academy of Equine Artists, 2003, 2004
Mother Lode Open National, 2004
Spring Juried Exhibition at Grady Gammagbe Auditorium, ASU, 2004
Autumn Award Show of the Scottsdale Artist's League, 2002, 2003
Capturing the Wild, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, 2003

Publications
Polo Player's Edition, "Artist in the Spotlight", Annual Art Edition, November 2005
Monthly Business Review, December 2005, Vol. 6, No. 12, Page 2

Studied with (Chronological Order):
Booth Malone, Jerry Cox, Ned Jacob, Susan Diehl, John Fawcett, Gabor Svagrik,
Phil Beck, Jean Legasik, Bye Bitney, Jean Perry, Bob Lemier, Phil Starke,
Henry Stinson, Scott Burdick, John Burton, Clint Hobart, John Budicin,
Bill Lundquist, Mary DeLoyht-Arendt and Sam Savitt

Professional Memberships & Affiliations
Official Artist and Photographer of the North Scottsdale Polo Club
Scottsdale Artist's School, Friend
American Academy of Equine Artists, Associate Artist Member
Oil Painters of America, Member
Equine Artist's Guild, Member
Arizona Art Alliance, Juried Member
Scottsdale Artist's League, Member
Arizona Artist's Guild, Associate Member
Phoenix Zoo, Member
Nature Conservancy, Member

Walters Art Studio
Scottsdale, Arizona
602-369-8774
Contact The Artist