Visual artist Leisa Collins stopped at Lake Waikaremoana, New Zealand in the first days of the new year as part of a national painting tour and captured the blue hues of the lake on her canvas.
New Zealand, January 21, 2010 — Visual artist Leisa Collins stopped at Lake Waikaremoana, New Zealand in the first days of the new year as part of a national painting tour and captured the blue hues of the lake on her canvas. “Lake Waikaremoana is one of my favorite places,” said Ms. Collins. “It’s unspoiled tranquility is a true source of inspiration for an artist.” She stayed with family at Onepoto Village where she set up an temporary art studio.
The tour celebrates Ms. Collins’ return to a full-time art career and retraces her footsteps 30 years earlier when she abandoned formal art training in Auckland, opting to learn her craft through painting the beauty of the New Zealand landscape.
Ms. Collins took up her paintbrush five months ago after two decades of social activism that took her to the four corners of the globe and gave her a firsthand view of diverse cultures and social inequities. She is currently creating her latest New Zealand series of paintings while fulfilling a steady stream of commissioned landscapes, child portraits and house portraits
She is now combining her activist and artistic skills under the motto of art with a message and while on the tour has given free art lessons to the pupils of Mt Cook School and completed an art project with a team of youth at a Gisborne marae. Her website stresses the importance of the artist bringing about social change and her Art in Action page includes her activities in this regard. Her website also includes an on-line gallery, featuring semi-abstract as well as realistic landscape and portrait works.
Before arriving in New Zealand Ms. Collins completed a 11,000 kilometer journey across the United States, capturing the faces and places of America on her canvas. Entitled Across the USA from the Eyes of an Artist tour the tour started in Los Angeles on September 1 and ended in New York on October 15.
“Art is a powerful means of communication and is therefore a potent weapon to bring about change,” she says. “Art for me is something that goes far beyond the walls of the studio.”
About portrait and landscape artist Leisa Collins:
A native of New Zealand, but international in scope, Leisa is now combining her artistic skills under the motto Art with a Message.” Her website stresses the importance of the artist bringing about social change. Her online gallery features her personalized house portraits, pet portraits, child portraits and original landscape paintings.
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