Collection: Colleen Underwood - Oil and Encaustic Painter

Colleen Underwood

Colleen Underwood from Halifax started her creative life in her early twenties and admits painting has been a passion ever since. She has studied art and taught art, owned an art convention business, and exhibited her art in several Maritime galleries including Art 1274 Hollis since it opened.

Inspired at a young age by works of the “Old Masters”, she feels bold vibrant colours are the most emotional and personal aspect of her paintings.  She discovered the luminosity and brilliance of oil paint and encaustics (melted beeswax), which led her to explore the marvels these mediums have to offer.  A memory or emotional connection can spark an idea for her subjects that range from floral and still life to coastal landscapes, but her passion is to paint transparency—light passing through and interacting with glass and its surroundings.

Starting with a sketch or drawing with her brush, Colleen applies her paint with a palette knife or in the case where she works in encaustic, melted beeswax and oil are applied and set with a heat gun or blow torch. The composition is further enhanced by rendering light, strong bold colors, and harmony on linen canvas, hardboard and sometimes metal panels such as copper and aluminum.  She paints what brings comfort and joy to her life including a beautifully set table for a family meal, and if viewer connects with that, then she feels she has accomplished her goal.  When not working on her art, Colleen enjoys road trips and golfing. For both the exercise and to take pictures of the scenery that might end up in her artwork.