Charlene Payton-Holt Govedare & Powell
Watercolors by Violet Collen
Welcome to Violet’s Garden
By Gloria J. Geary
Violet Collen began painting as a child. Although her parents were not artists, she was greatly influenced by the creativity of her mother. Her mother was proficient in crocheting and knitting, and taught those domestic crafts to young Violet. A ‘natural’ gardener; Violet’s mother threw seeds on the ground and let flowers bloom wherever the seeds fell. She never planted ‘rows’. One of Violet’s first memories is the blue, pink, and white morning glories growing lavishly below her bedroom window. Maybe because of her name, maybe because she grew up surrounded by her mother’s freeform garden--the reason is not important. Violet paints flowers—tulips, peonies, roses, irises, purple coneflowers, and large sensuous sunflowers that shout HELLO! Violet has never met a flower she didn’t want to paint! Emerald green, lush, landscapes and waterfalls are also part of her repertoire.
She began painting with oils but switched to watercolors and has never looked back. Violet ignored the naysayers who complained that watercolor painting was ‘so difficult’. Because Violet didn’t paint for many years while she was raising her family, it took her quite awhile after a fourteen-year absence from the palette to learn to mix colors again.Attending many workshops over the years with various instructors to learn different approaches to watercolor, she has developed her own singular style.
In the fine arts there are so many strong passions about illustration versus art. Violet’s artwork has evolved from didactic illustration to fine art filled with a graceful use of color and vibrant impact. While the line between illustration and fine art is becoming increasingly blurred, there will always be differences between the two. Perhaps the most common difference is that illustrations are usually created with reproduction in mind. Violet’s older paintings are more stylized and exhibit the technical aspects of a particular flower. She is happy to allow her technique to become more relaxed. The more she ‘lets go’, the more emotion is transferred to the paper, adding a quality that allows the paintings to be appreciated on several levels. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the tighter technique, it depends on her mood and what she is trying to accomplish. When the color is going well, and she is thrilled with what is happening on the paper, an unfettered line develops.
Violet finds that flowers are the easiest things to paint. She lays the color in, moving the color around and then deciding what she wants to paint on top of that layer. She enjoys taking ‘artistic license’ and designing the composition on the fly. Collen ‘likes the surprise’ of what’s happening on the paper; adding whatever she deems necessary to complete the composition of the painting, be it a vase, or other element.
There are technical difficulties to overcome with watercolor—it’s a very unforgiving medium. What might look like the simplest painting is a tribute to an accomplished artist—they can make the difficult look deceptively easy. With watercolors, you’re able to achieve different colors with glazes, but you really can’t change colors once they are mixed, or you’ll end up with a not-too-appealing muddy brown. The medium dries very quickly on paper, unlike oils which might take days to completely dry.
Violet also teaches watercolor painting. Being a teacher of any subject has its rewards. In an informal setting like that of a painting studio, the reciprocal relationship between teacher and student can be profound. Violet explains, "when I started teaching children about nine years ago, that was a wonderful experience, because I sort of learned all over again. How children do things—they do it without restrictions. They are so uninhibited when it comes to color. Children are natural artists. Then I started teaching adults, and they also inspired me." A couple of her adult students had never attempted painting of any kind. Her students surprise her because of their "conscious astonishment of what color does. They are so amazed, and it’s refreshing to see through their eyes, it reminds me of how it was for me when I first started. They teach me things that I had never learned." She has a few students who have been with her for more than a few years. One comment from a student was "I just didn’t know I could do this."
As a teacher, Violet’s only demand is that "it’s got to be fun! If it’s not fun, then why do it? It’s got to be a happy time and you’ve got to enjoy it while you’re doing it. If it’s a struggle, then we should start in another direction, go in another direction". Her motto is: "whatever you learn and whatever you try, you’ll develop your own technique. And you always try different ways."
Continuing her study of watercolors, she attends workshops whenever she can. Violet feels this is important because one can sometimes get in a ‘rut’, and it’s important to keep the inspire-o-meter high!
She has taken a workshop with PBS television instructor Jerry Madden, whose ultra relaxed method is difficult, because he uses a tremendous amount of water, which is hard to control. Jerry’s advice was to take it layer by layer. Violet has tackled some of the most difficult things to paint: waterfalls, using this layering method.
Painting almost every day, she has inspired her children and grandchildren and many others in her role as teacher. Currently, she conducts watercolors classes out of her Metaline Falls studio. For more information, please call her at 509-446-4218.
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