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The Art Of
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 “Although my images may appear to be photo-graphic, they are not photographs. Composition, values, colors, textures and details are all manipulated, refined and adjusted the way only a creative human mind can do. No machine is really capable of doing what the artist does. I have heard people refer to realism as trying to “capture the moment”. I really don’t subscribe to that line of thought. Instead of caging up what I see, my goal is to let it live on indefinitely, to give it new life, to let it survive. I certainly hope that each person who views my work brings their own experiences to it and interprets it in their own way.”
Like his great-grandfather who was a pioneer photographer in South Dakota in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Collin shares a love of structure and realism. His background in photography, serigraphy, architecture and art education has been instrumental in shaping his style, developing his techniques and choosing his subject matter.
“I actually started developing my color technique while doing a wax resist project with my second graders several years ago .... you know, nice heavy color crayon areas, soak the paper in cold water, thin watercolor washes, pull the paint off the wax with a dry brush or paper towel. My students would get really excited when magical things happen with various materials ..... so do I”
His unique approach to his work is demanding, meticulous and precise, combining watercolor and colored pencil in a way that both invites and commands the viewer’s attention. In each piece, once the refined details have been laid down with colored pencil, a final softening and the addition of chiaroscuro is provided by the watercolor washes. He also works with graphite pencil and pen & ink using the same meticulous approach as in his color work.
Collin’s subject matter springs from experiences as a child growing up in the Pacific Northwest, his travels throughout the United States, Canada and Europe and his home in Southern Indiana. During his thirty two year career as an Art teacher, he taught at all grade levels in the Springs Valley Community Schools system in historic French Lick. He has exhibited regionally and internationally in both open and juried exhibitions. Having retired from teaching at the end of the 2005-2006 school year, Collin is now able to devote his full energies to his passion of creating images to share with others. |
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Collin M. Staley
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Education;
Graduated - Carmel High School, 1967
Graduated - Ball State University, Muncie, IN, 1972
B.S., Art Education (All Grades K-12)
Graduated - Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 1979
M.S., Art Education
Work Experience;
Art Teacher - Springs Valley Comm. Schools, 32 years
Taught grades 1-12, 1974-1999 - grades 7-12, 2000- 2006
Professional Artist, Videographer - 1990-present
Home Designer / Builder, 1972-present
Exhibitions and Awards;
Hoosier Salon, Indianapolis - 1996, 1997, 1998; outstanding work, any media / peoples choice award,
1999; best drawing - 2006
Indiana Artists Club, Indianapolis - 1996; merit award, 1997; merit award, 1998; merit award, /popular award, 1999; merit award / popular award,
Jasper Community Arts Commission, Jasper - 1996, 1997, 1998; merit award, 1999; best of show
Tri Kappa Art Show and Competition, Paoli - First Place; 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001
KAPS / French Lick Springs Fine Arts Festival, French Lick, 2000; first place, 2001; first place/best of show
Munce Art Center, Zionsville - 1996; people choice award
Cornucopia Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic - 1995 Ms. O'Malley's Gallery, Gallway, Ireland - 1995, 1996
Kremp Gallery, Jasper, Indiana – 2000 |
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