AS someone who doesn’t consider herself to have been artistic her whole life, Judy Walters’ technique suggests the contrary. Retired since 2008 from her work in real estate appraisals and development, Walters decided to try learning something new—and that something was picking up a paintbrush. Determined to truly immerse herself in her new pursuit, she began taking art workshops and traveled to Europe to study with artists, attending the Florence Academy of Art and learning plein air painting. After nearly a decade perfecting her skills, Walters began showing her work at galleries in 2017.

As with all great artists, Walters paints what inspires her: the Carolina marshes and coastlands, picturesque country scenes, sunsets, winding rural lanes and creeks, and wildlife. Her figurative and still life paintings are a rich play in color, while there’s a soothing quality to her landscapes, a peacefulness that is created by the colors and the way light seems to suffuse them. Regardless of what she’s painting, each piece is like a personal history, offering glimpses into Walters’ Eastern Kentucky Appalachian roots as well as her travels and her life in Charleston. She currently shows her work at the Charleston Artist Guild Gallery and Perspective Gallery in Mount Pleasant.