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Colleen Ross.......Artist Profile
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Artist Profile and Career Highlights
"The faces I paint are the faces I stared at in movies -- larger than life, glamorous. They are not who we are in reality, they are magical visions of who we are. There's a transformation that goes on -- they change as we change, and the interpretation differs for everyone -- like Rorschach tests. The paintings are abstracts of who we are, of what we are, that are full of beauty and color and magic." So notes Colleen Ross, whose art has been coined "Glam Pop"© for its eclectic mix of elements of early Hollywood, 30's Deco, 40's Pin-ups, 60's Pop Art, comic books and sheer gorgeousness. Her Palette is Vibrant, and Firmly Entrenched in the Fantastic Colleen Ross defines the hues she employs as "comic book colors," which are strong and saturated, tending towards primary tones. Color becomes drama in her works, defining not only forms but also moments. She is dazzled by the works of Pop artist Roy Liechtenstein, both understanding and embracing his fascination with comics, from the bold delineation of characters to the subtle, intriguing subtexts underlying each image. She also notes that particular colors evoke bygone eras -- reds and greens, yellows and blues that were popularized in interior design, fashion, automobiles, and especially the processing techniques of Technicolor films. Like a Real, Live Movie Star Colleen was born to a family trapped in dire financial straits. The poverty made reality a harsh place, and Colleen's initial foray into escapism was drawing, which she started when she was very young. First she drew only eyes, then progressed to mouths, and then eventually mastered noses -- the essential elements of the human face. She absorbed the glossy images of the goddesses of the screen by avidly watching old black and white movies on the one station the family TV received. Colleen was captivated by one of her mother's sisters, who frequently made the society pages: she was, in Colleen's words, "like a real, live movie star." The Hollywood Casting Call In assessing herself -- tall (5'10") and slender -- during the era of Marilyn Monroe and similarly curvaceous vamps, Colleen determined that she was going to somehow become one of those gorgeous women -- and as she envisioned it, drew it, and then painted it, so she became her art, and her art became a vision of some aspect of every woman made perfect. Colleen's sketches evolved into paintings when she was fifteen, but then as now, she focused on faces -- portraits drawn from her imagination, rather than the "real world" of Hollywood and romance comics and Cosmopolitan magazine. Bachelor of Science in Art Education and Painting Colleen attended college at Bowling Green State University, earning a B.S. in art education, with a specialization in painting. Her palette and her style evolved, but she remained constant in subject matter -- always the face. She became a student of the human condition, recognizing the basic human urge towards beauty and fantasy, as well as the gamut of emotions that play out on the canvas of eyes, nose, mouth and skin. Although some will consider her images "retro," Colleen maintains "… there's a blur between the golden years of Hollywood in the 40's and 50's and today. Look at the 2001 Oscars -- there was Julia Roberts, with a 'vintage' gown and a 'vintage' hair style, and she looked glamorous, sophisticated. The whole presentation was dramatic, and that's the Hollywood thing -- drama and fun, all larger than life, all beautiful." West Coast Influence Colleen Ross moved westward as she developed her oeuvre: to Arizona, then California, and finally Washington. Her work was featured in important galleries and collected by luminaries of Hollywood, such as Teri Hatcher, George Lucas and Nicholas Cage and others. Trips to Europe -- Paris, Venice, Florence -- inspired new approaches and techniques in her work. But, as the saying goes, while the words changed, the song has remained the same. "I am very consistent," she notes. "I haven't stepped out of my world. I paint glamorous women, and when I do, I join them, become part of them. Today, I still like to escape, just as an actor loves to become many different characters, or a writer dreams up a plot. It's escape, a drama, an altered reality, and more than anything else, it's fun." Renowned for her unique style, Ross has also emerged as a highly desirable portrait artist and has developed an impressive celebrity following. "Artistic souls with similar playfulness and vulnerability seem to be drawn to my work." Actress and author, Teri Hatcher, has been a fan and close friend of Ross since the 80's. "I love being around Teri. I laugh so much with her spontaneous humor and feel my feathers smoothed by her tender heart." During their 18 years of friendship, Ross has done portraits of Teri and her daughter and both Ross and Hatcher continue to collaborate on multiple projects. Currently Ross' playful paintings of dogs are featured on the hit show, Desperate Housewives, seen in the living room of Teri Hatcher's character, Susan. |