Marilyn Winters was born and raised in St. Germain, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin at Stout. After graduating with a BS in Graphic Arts, she was employed in advertising in Green Bay, WI. During that time, she took evening classes with John Gordon of New Masters Art School. She now lives in Illinois with her husband and six children, where she studied several years with Thomas Trausch of Woodstock, Illinois, an impressionist artist.