How it all began…
Welcome to my first Art in the Making Newsletter, which marks my re-emergence into the art world and the launch of the Leisa Collins website.
So how did this all begin?
The year was 1975. It was the beginning of a beautiful New Zealand summer and I was fresh out of high school. The setting was a stuffy lecture room at the Auckland Technical Institute where I had enrolled for art training so that I wouldn’t end up behind a grocery store check-out counter with no formal education to fall back on.
The teacher’s discourse ran on and on, his voice echoing off the walls… and then it hit me! There had to be more to art and life than this! Surely art was something to be LIVED, not just the subject of boring, pedantic course room lectures.
I made up my mind. I would learn my craft by capturing the splendor of the countryside on canvas. I threw the few paintings and art supplies I possessed in the back of my old station wagon and with only a few dollars in my pocket (no credit cards those days) I embarked upon a new adventure. And what an adventure it was. I gave rides to a wide variety of foreign hitch-hikers and learned about their cultures and customs, I visited the Maraes (community meeting centers) of New Zealand’s native Maori race, I got lost in remote mountain regions, and when I found myself totally broke I spontaneously set up my easel with a beautiful scene in front of me… and a busy tourist resort directly behind.I sold the landscape before the paint was dry and was back on the road in a flash.
My interactions with people on these travels gave me my first view of social injustice. When I arrived back in Auckland I continued my career as a full time artist while becoming increasingly involved in the growing movement to restore Maori land rights. A few years later I decided to devote my energies full time to social issues – a course which lead me to the four corners of the globe. This provided me with greater insight on life and introduced me to many diverse cultures and art forms.
My motto is Art with a Message and my new path is to work again as a full time artist while using my art to promote and create change on important social issues.
Over the last few months I have compiled an art portfolio which I hereby proudly present to you through my new website – www.leisacollins.com.
I invite you to tour my virtual gallery and take note of my unique commission work. I also especially invite you to visit the Art in Action page of the website.
Remember that supporting a living artist and owning original works of art gives you a unique relationship and ownership – something that is rare in the artificial world of today.
Purchase one of my original paintings online, send me an e-mail message, visit my Art with a Message Blog or sign up for this Art in the Making Newsletter.
I will continue to update my website with new works of art and blog the daily events of my upcoming live tour – Across the USA from the Eyes of an Artist.
Later this year I will continue to blog as I retrace my journey through the New Zealand wilderness where I first taught myself to paint.
Most importantly, I would love to hear from you and get your feedback.
Wishing you a fabulous week!
Best regards,
Leisa
I am founder of “Lights Out 9999″. By now my sites are in Spanish, but I am planing to translate everything in English.
I only use all natural products in my home, either by buying them from a health food store or making them myself. I am getting a reverse osmosis system put into my home. Educating myself and my family about what is going on in the world today. I will be planting flowers and a garden.
