Marjorie Collins OAS – portfolio

Contact the artist

https://marjoriecollins.com
01865 552591
mac [at] marjoriecollins.com

Exhibition information

In this exhibition I am showing a selection paintings from the major themes that I have painted over the years and  am still continuing.

Visits to New York over many years have inspired me to paint various scenes seen there, in particular fragments of buildings such as are depicted in LINDY’S, and CAR WASH where lettering can function as an abstract element in what are representational paintings.

Many of the florals that I paint such as CANNA use flowers from our garden that I have particularly requested be planted.

As for my still lifes, some will have been seen in situ, for example BLUE TABLE; others such as CAPRI were set up to create a colourful design. For this composition, I saw this array of old shoes in a second hand shop; the proprietor asked me if I wanted to try them on and I told him “no” as I was not intending to wear any of them!!!

Artist information

Although I am an Oxfordshire artist having moved here in 1975, I grew up in Chicago and it was there that my interest in how light falls on buildings and fragments thereof led to the style that characterises my work today. As a child I had always drawn pictures and I decided that I wanted to become a painter at the age of 13 when I won a school scholarship to attend a Saturday lecture series at the Art Institute of Chicago. This discussed paintings in their collections  and I was inspired by seeing the actual works and learning about the artists and their techniques.

Later, I obtained a degree in Art and Design at the University of Michigan at the time when abstract expressionism was in vogue but after that, while studying part time at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I broke away from working in that style as I had always preferred a more controlled way of working which involved gaining inspiration from people, places and things which I had actually seen. I then interpret them into what was to become my style of abstract realism in which shape, light and the effects of shadows together with the use of hard edges became significant elements of my style. This has remained with me to this day as I continue to paint both  urban scenes and more figurative subjects in both acrylics and watercolours. Although I had begun my art career painting in oils, when I became sensitive to to the smell of turpentine, I had to switch to using acrylics and watercolours.

Around this time, in the 1990’s, I began painting more watercolours and in particular discovered that my technique was well suited to painting contemporary still lifes and florals, inspired by bright colours, using both simple and complex fabric patterns as backgrounds and creating bold shadow shapes by setting the objects in a strong light. I also paint in a controlled way using successive layers of paint to get the intense colour that is characteristic of my style. I have also become an avid collector of objects, sometimes chosen with a specific project in mind while on other occasions chosen for their intrinsic interest and possible future use. I especially enjoy painting metal and glass vases and bowls that provide challenges in interpreting reflections and refractions.

Reflecting my degree in design, I seek unusual viewpoints in arranging my still lifes. Often my goal  is to realise objects larger than life, arranging elements such as fruits and flowers in a shallow space so as to create a strong abstract  pattern with the resulting image strictly representational. Often in my floral paintings, I will move in close to the subject and by using a strong pattern of light and shadow depict individual petals to give an abstract appearance despite the realistic portrayal of the flower,.