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Hanging with: Karen Collins - Artist
Changing the landscape for Brisbane artists
By Brooke Jacobson
Karen Collins loves a good landscape and the talented Brisbane artist is changing the view in more ways than one.
Karen runs Art St, which supports and promotes emerging artists through an online space and social media. The former web designer said her vision came from speaking with students at the Brisbane Institute of Art.
"The students there were complaining that they had nowhere to show and sell their work"
"There are so many good artists out there and there was no outlet for them. It’s very hard to get representation at the the commercial galleries and it can be quite expensive as well."
"So, I thought, we have to adapt and that’s how Art St came about."
Karen Collins - Art St
Art St and its members are a fellowship of Artists who gather together regularly to further their careers and work together on commissioned projects.
Clients of Art St can purchase pieces of art from the Artists or commission a piece of art that then gets painted by each artist in their various personal styles. What the client ends up with is a selection of artwork all based on the preferred subject, in the artist's individual styles to choose from. This is an impressive way to keep the Art St community engaged and for the client to end up with a really impressive piece of artwork.
Karen Collins is currently exhibiting her Climb Every Mountain series at Treasury Hotel’s LAB Restaurant and Ryan’s on the Park, alongside paintings of beautifully bright Queenslander homes by Terri Vidler.
“The series is all about challenges,” she said.
“Conquering a mountain can be similar to facing life’s challenges – it’s really difficult and sometimes painful, but if you just keep going, one foot in front of the other, you know you’ll get there eventually."
“This series was really inspired by my love of hiking and about Brisbane meeting the surrounding mountains. It’s such a contrast here, there are so many places so close to the city that are so beautiful and yet you feel a million miles away.”
Karen added Picture Hanging Systems had been a “lifesaver” when it come to her home studio.
“I was moving paintings around at my studio – once again – and I found that I had a wall full of holes,” she said.
“I just thought, ‘I can’t keep this up’ and then I looked online and found Picture Hanging Systems. It’s just been fantastic."
"The system is so easy to move around and adapt for large and small works. A lot of our Art St artists use Picture Hanging Systems and we all love it.”
Karen uses the Locator classic system a really versatile picture rail that hides its own fixings so all you can see is the smooth flat face of the rail. This rail is ideal for underneath a cornice and also lends itself to a stand-alone rail for high ceilings that are out of reach.
How do I contact Karen Collins?
You can find Karen Collins' artwork online at: www.karencollinsartist.com on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/KarenCollinsArtist or on Instagram at: @KarenCollinsArtist
How do I contact Art St?
To take a look at the online art gallery, Art St, go to: www.artst.com.au or on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ArtStBrisbane or on Instagram at: @ArtStBrisbane