Colleen will discuss the aesthetic evolution of figurative drawing spanning from the Renaissance to the Contemporary art scene, and the distinct differences between the linear and tonal tendencies in art. She will touch upon how artists learn to draw in the western tradition and how certain materials have aided artists given their particular aesthetic temperaments. From ancient cave drawings to Jeff Koons, Colleen’s overarching vision encompasses all aspects of drawing in concept and materiality. Colleen’s paintings combine the rigor and sophistication of European Masters with the potency of Contemporary Art.
Her influences range from Michelangelo and Kathe Kollwitz to the portraits of Andy Warhol. Her subjects include family members, friends, fellow artists, and her two children. A lifetime New Yorker, Colleen grew up immersed in the music scene of the early 2000s, touring globally with the Strokes. At 21 she created paintings for film companies in New York and Hollywood; her work appeared in major motion pictures and music videos by the likes of Lil Kim and the Die Romantik. She would later go on to apprentice with Jacob Collins at the Water Street Atelier. Colleen has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards and her work is in important collections in North America and Europe including the New Salem Museum of Art. In 2011 she received an Affiliate Fellowship to reside at the American Academy in Rome with her husband, Will St. John. Colleen paints out of her studio in East Williamsburg Brooklyn. She is currently the Director of Drawing at the Grand Central Atelier in Long Island City, New York.
