SANTA FE, NM.- Jen Tough Gallery in Santa Fe, is presenting a new solo exhibit by abstract artist, Joan Maureen Collins. The exhibit, titled Entangled Beauty, is a new body of work by this masterful artist. The exhibit opened last week and runs through November 5. The Opening reception is on October 14.

Throughout her twenty-eight year art career, Joan Maureen Collins’ observations of the natural world and the inspiration she receives from spending time in nature, have been a driving force behind her creativity. Her powerful and soulful abstract interpretations of these impressions of the land remind us of the fragility of our natural world. In her new series, Entangled Beauty, the artist hones in on the contrasts she has observed. Part of the exhibit includes works that were “painted” in the sea in Ireland.

The artist describes the meaning of Entangled Beauty by saying, “Entangled beauty is like this knotted mess of complex and moving contrasts. For example, the rain is wonderful, floods are not. Or a threatening dark sky surrenders to a rainbow. Nature shows us that beauty comes from these interwoven and subtle complexities - the grit of survival and its exquisite contrast. Beauty in nature is often about what we can't see unless we really work at looking, and more importantly, understanding. Beauty isn't about what we are supposed to see, but what we are surprised to see. I am intrigued by these complex mysteries and I explore that in this new series of paintings.”

Joan’s other passion is decarbonization and sustainability, and its ultimate impact on our earth. She has been a renewable energy expert for the past twenty years. Her exhibit at the Jen Tough Gallery in Santa Fe, N.M., comes on the heels of her annual trip to Ireland where she “painted” empty canvases by submerging them in Traligagh Bay in Toe Head, Ireland and added natural elements to them. Back in her Arizona studio, the unrolled canvases revealed dried impressions of water, seaweed and the organic inks she had applied. She interpreted those works by adding abstract strokes, while purposely leaving haunting traces of our fragile world on the canvas. The artist often invents her own painting tools from found materials such as feathers and sticks which were used in the creation of Entangled Beauty.

Joan is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and her artwork has been featured in exhibitions nationally and internationally. Joan has been an invited interviewee for the Phoenix Art Museum, Artist Spotlight program. Most recently, her art has been exhibited in New York City, SCOPE Miami Art Fair, and ArtBox Expo Basel, Switzerland. This October Solo Show in Santa Fe will be the debut exhibit of this new body of work.

Jen Tough Gallery
Entangled Beauty
October 6th, 2023 - November 5th, 2023