Jeff Collins
Tel:
780 - 439 - 9532
Email
In his never ending quest for meaning and insight Jeff Collins creates both representational and abstract paintings on location and in his Edmonton studio.
In his representational works
he pays reference to the great Canadian Landscape painters of the past and is
inspired by his natural environment. Working from the colour and charcoal
sketches he does on location, and from the many photographs he takes, he
reinterprets, in oils, his experience of the Alberta landscape.
Jeff’s abstract and
experimental paintings allow him to express emotions and experiences in a way
that representational landscape imagery does not allow. His experimental works
are created with a variety of media including acrylic and oil paint, charcoal,
collage, wax and other materials.
He has received formal
training at Red Deer College and the University of Alberta, and has attended
numerous workshops throughout the province in both painting and pottery.
Jeff’s work is well
respected among his peers and he has sold nationally and internationally. In
1996 The Alberta Foundation for the Arts purchased one of his paintings to be
included in the province’s permanent art collection.
He has participated in many group and solo exhibitions throughout the
province since 1991 and has recently been invited by the Edmonton Art Gallery to
participate in a group traveling exhibition that will tour Alberta beginning in
2005 through 2007. In 2003 The Alberta Foundation for the Arts awarded Jeff a
project grant that allowed him to devote an extended period of time developing a
new body of work. From the project grant he produced 28 new works that were
received with critical praise in a solo exhibition in Edmonton in the fall of
2003.
Jeff is an active member of
Canada’s cultural community. In 2003 the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Shelia
Copps, invited him to Ottawa along with 500 other Canadian artists and cultural
workers, to share his ideas and develop strategies to nurture Canada’s
culturally diverse population. His
writings on art and craft have been published in numerous magazines from coast
to coast.
Currently Jeff is the
president of ArtsCoop Interdisciplinary Arts Association. ArtsCoop is made up of
the
tenants of ArtsHab Project 1, a unique live/work space for 14 Edmonton artists.
As president, he has led people to develop 10 multi-discipline art exhibitions,
created a public gallery and has worked actively with the media to create an
awareness of Edmonton’s artistic culture.
When Jeff is not painting or working in the cultural scene he shares his passion for painting by teaching others the joys of oil painting from his studio in downtown Edmonton.
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Jeff's passion for the arts started at home! Joining him on this 'Artists on Rails' trek is Dell Collins - his mom and inspiration.
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Dell Collins
Dell Collins was born and raised in Edmonton Alberta. At the young age of 24, tragedy struck when she was left a widow with 3 small children. By 1967 her youngest child, Jeff, started school so she decided to take up painting as a hobby. She took semi private lessons from a friend of hers who taught from her home studio. Little did Dell realise that this hobby would soon blossom into a full time career that would allow her to raise her three children on her own in her own home. After a few years of lessons, her teacher moved to Vancouver and encouraged Dell to set up a studio in her basement and take over teaching for her. This was a very risky venture for Dell but her natural talents and her love for teaching brought her success. She soon held 7 classes a week with 9 students in each class. She also had and a long waiting list of people eager to learn from her. Once a year she would host an exhibition and sale of hers and her students work where it was not uncommon for Dell to sell out of all her paintings.
Dell’s love for Alberta with its natural beauty and nostalgic pioneer era are the inspiration for many of her works. Her fine skill and ability allow her to capture the mood and spirit of the land with crispness and clarity in both oil paints and watercolours. Collins’ paintings have sold around the world, including a commission depicting the western prairies, which was presented to the manager for Canadian Tourism in London, England. Many of her works are owned by private collectors both here in Canada and abroad. In 1989, after her children had grown and moved away from home, she sold her house in Edmonton and relocated to Rocky Mountain House, AB where she continued painting. She has led many workshops for private and community art groups, including the Further Education Council and Red Deer College. Dell has been a member of the Arts and Crafts Society of Alberta for the past 35 years and she has won several awards for her art. Currently she lives in Lacombe, AB where she continues to create paintings that are distinctly original and express Alberta’s natural beauty.
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Dell and Jeff will be exhibiting in Jasper, July 14 and 15, at the Sawridge Hotel.