The PebbleCreek Art Club’s Artist of the Month Committee
The PebbleCreek Art Club is proud to present Carol Collins with the December “Artist of the Month” award.
Carol’s love for painting began when she took her first art class as a sophomore in high school. At that time, she completed two acrylic paintings and, although having enjoyed the experience, soon was college bound, choosing math and sciences as her primary focus. After graduating from college with a BS in Accounting, Carol passed her CPA exam and decided to work for non-profit companies. For the next four decades, her life was filled with the adventures of being a wife, mom, accountant, church administrator, finance director, and finally, a grandma.
After many cold, icy, Minnesota winters, Carol and her husband, Jim, decided to retire to Arizona in January of 2015. They visited several communities, but PebbleCreek with its warmth and friendliness stood out. Their tour of the Creative Arts Center with its impressive works of art on display sealed the deal. When Carol saw a lone artist in the Coyote Room totally absorbed in her work, she knew then that PebbleCreek was the right fit for her and that she wanted to return to painting.
After a few months of settling into her new home, Carol decided it was time to start painting again. Not knowing where to begin after so many years, she timidly walked into Fred Alves’ oil painting class with newly purchased supplies, a blank canvas, and a bin filled with tubes of paint. Though there were a few obstacles to overcome as she engaged with this new medium, it only took a year to finish her first small painting of two cardinals in the snow! This painting was followed first by a portrait of a swan and soon after one of an owl, before Carol transitioned to four-legged animals. At present her art is more varied, based on a realistic approach that strives to capture the viewers’ attention and imagination with light, color, and subject.
Although Carol has painted in acrylics and experimented with fiber clay sculpture, her medium of choice now is oils. She relishes the challenges oil painting poses: learning how to blend and master change in direction; developing consistency; handling the brush. Producing figures both in oil and acrylic is another challenge, but Carol continues to delight in the whole process. Her work is indeed carefully executed and abounds in vivid colors and moving subjects. She has become more immersed in the Art Club, benefiting from classes, open studios, and exchanging ideas with other artists. She was awarded second prize in acrylic painting at the 2018 Spring Art Show! Carol has found painting in this community a blessing, loves being a part of the Art Club, and is honored to be Artist of the Month.
You are welcome to view her work now on display in the Creative Arts Center, as well as in the Tuscany Falls and Eagle’s Nest Clubhouses through December.