EMOTION and sense of place—these are the hallmarks of Judy Walters’ oil paintings. If you were unaware of her Eastern Kentucky Appalachian roots, one glance at her landscapes, intimate country scenes, and animals of land and sea and you’re transported.

Walters, who came to painting as a second career in 2009, expresses the happy memories of growing up on a farm through her artworks. She recalls the vibrant colors she was exposed to every day—of sunsets, winding country lanes, creeks, tomatoes, even her dad’s smile against a face darkened with coal dust when he came home from the mine.

“Painting has been a passion throughout my life,” Walters says. “After school, working and business, I started exploring it.” Now she paints for pleasure and business, as well as to create a legacy to pass on to her nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. In June she was feat-ured as the artist of the month for the Charleston Artist Guild.