I always feel like art gets us out of the scripted world, and into a world filled with possibilities. - Joan

I live and paint in my studio, in the heart of the vibrant Scottsdale art scene in Arizona. I paint like a sculptor moving, adding, and scraping paint around the canvas. This technique results in striking contours made of heavy, opaque color and texture against thin, filmy transparency. I apply lines that some have said look like veins or pathways throughout my work. I also make many of my own brushes for effect, using feathers, ropes, wire, and other desert and beach findings. I create painterly surfaces primarily with acrylics on canvas, paper, and board – both small works and very large pieces that invite appreciators to walk into and experience. I focus on abstract designs, but they are always grounded and inspired by the transcendence of natural and urban spaces. My paintings have been referred to by curators as "highly energized landscapes and reflective space-scapes."

Curator and Director of Artists in Arizona Lauren Edgar noted, "For us, Joan's paintings create a sense of freedom, as with each brushstroke, she liberates the landscape into abstraction, helping us open our minds to life’s possibilities. Ultimately, Joan Maureen Collins works are about space. Her space, outdoor space, and even our collective space. She doesn’t define it, she liberates it." 

MY PROCESS

My painting is physical and messy. I paint like a sculptor, moving, adding, and scraping paint around the canvas. I find that technique results in striking contours made of heavy, opaque color and texture against thin, filmy transparency. When I paint, I often think of looking down at my toes in clear ocean water and the layers of light and shadows below me, and… those ripples of light. I also make many of my brushes for effect, using feathers, ropes, springs, wire, and other desert, beach, and urban findings. I’ve even discovered beautiful and rich earthy colors blending titanium white with red dirt from Sedona.

WANT TO SEE MY ART IN STUDIO?

I would love to meet you!
Schedule a virtual or in-person Studio Visit.