Greg Winterhalter is the art professor of Southern Vermont College. He is known for his hard grading and overall down to Earth demeanor. Each of his classes is a whole new experience. Greg is an artist who has not starved, due to his ability to believe in his art and himself.

Greg first attended Boston University (BU) to major in fine arts. He had always been passionate about creating works of art that he had not even considered another career path. This mentality had given him the motivation to continue to educate himself in what he enjoyed best.

While Greg was in college, there was not a lot of talk on future careers like there is today. In modern times, we think about how much money a job will make us and if we will be able to sustain such a job. Greg grew up with the mentality of, essentially, you make it or break it. You did what you were good at. This mentality has lessened today, aiming more towards which career will provide the most amount of money.

After getting his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in painting, as well as a minor in history at BU, Greg decided to attend graduate school at Pratt Institute in New York City. In his second year at Pratt, Greg had been recommended by one of his professors to attend the Skowhegan School of Art. This particular school, located in Maine, is an internationally recognized summer fine arts program, where a very small amount of art students from all over the world attend. There, he would attend vigorous painting classes to improve his art skills.

After Pratt, Greg worked many jobs. He worked in carpentry, social work, restaurants, stores, and a factory. The factory was the only job that really had anything to do with art, however. At this job, he would match the colors on textiles so that they would all be the same. It was hard work, but it paid the bills.

Greg was able to snag his job at Southern Vermont College (SVC) due to a friend of his. After quitting her job as the art professor at SVC, former Professor Swan suggested to Greg to apply for the position. Greg was accepted, and from then on has worked at SVC.

“Believe in yourself. The job will find you,” is the advice that Greg has to give to students. “As long as you believe in yourself and do what you are passionate about, you will be content. Don’t give up.”