Reston Art Gallery and Studios (RAGS)

Colleen Koranek

About the Artist

Background

Born in Meridian, MS and raised primarily in Southeast Texas, Colleen has always had a knack for drawing. As a pre-teen she spent many hours sketching and drawing cars and motorcycles from pictures she got at car shows. When she was a young teen, Miss Gwen, a neighbor in Meridian, noticed Colleen's ability and decided to take Colleen under her wing. Over the course of several summers, Colleen learned how to paint landscapes from Miss Gwen using pastels. For many years after that Colleen continued to paint landscapes with her pastels, later expanding into watercolors.

For a time, Colleen put her art on hold while she first traveled as a professional musician, then settled down to work full-time and pursue her higher education. She has an Associates Degree in Industrial Technology from Walter State, and a B.S. in Leadership Management from Regent University.

Her drawing ability was useful in pursuing her AAS, since she spent many hours with AutoCAD, a mechanical drawing program used by engineers for civil, electrical, archtectural 2D and 3D drawings and renderings. Her skills led her to jobs with Philips Magnavox and Ford Motor Company.

In 2002, Colleen began studying Buddhist meditations and yoga. She then fell in love with Japanese and Chinese watercolors -- past and present. She commenced a course of self-study, learning what she could from the masters of e-sumi and other Asian styles of watercolors. She learned about the Four Gentlemen, and began experimenting with different types of papers and paints and brushes. As an artist, she knows that every day is a learning experience.

Colleen is always experimenting, but nature is probably the biggest inspiration for her and is a constant source of energy and fascination. Animals, their habitats, and the flora around them are aspects she studies on a constant basis, especially while engaged in her part-time job of dog walking. She also meditates with these images to help guide her in her painting.

Asian art and culture are also a source of inspiration to Colleen. Books, movies, and Japanese anime have all found a place in her art. She can draw/paint anywhere, inside or outside, though one of her favorite places to paint is in a coffee shop or restaurant, as the creative energy in those spaces can create a totally different feel to the painting. She enjoys painting animals, landscapes, pines, trees, bamboo, plant life, still-life, and lotus...it all really depends on what "grabs her" at the moment...and if it takes her on a journey, then it will take someone else there too!

Since 2003 Colleen has been using watercolors as her main medium. Her primary focus has been creating works with an Asian perspective, though she has begun branching out to more 'Western' types of scenery. Some have described her paintings as having a "layered" feel to them, while others have said that they are just "beautiful works of art". Often times you can find Colleen in the studio at Reston Art Gallery in Reston, VA at Lake Anne Plaza. Colleen has traveled to Central America, Mexico, the Virgin islands, Canada, and through a large portion of the U.S. Colleen currently lives in Northern Virgina with Cassie, her partner of 7 years, and their two cats, Jezebel and Delilah. Colleen is a practicing Wiccan but also believes in the Buddhist philosophies.

Artist's Statement:

" I am completely enamoured with the Asian style of painting...watercolors and inks. Its highly stylized form pleases me, yet I feel free to experiment and make the styles my own. Nature is an important aspect of my painting. I want the essence of the subject I am painting to leap off the canvas. I also feel it is absolutely necessary to keep art in society, schools, and community; the messages in my art are to be shared with others however that may happen...create art! "