​Inspiration

Ruth Collis finds passion in using all kinds of different tools to create effects in paint, often times which are cake decorating tips. She makes up her own tools, like using a literal broom as the brush used in her painting called "Broomstick Tulips." Her style has been a mix of seeing how she can replicate corals or flowers of interest, while being free to make up her own designs that seem to flourish in her painting discoveries. She found even using built up layers of her thick palette could be rolled up into organ pipe coral shapes. Ruth is inspired with manufacturers & their constant new improvements of paint & supplies she must try out.

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Instruction

Southern California artist, Ruth Collis, studied graphic design, did logo & business card freelancing. Receiving her AS degree, she designed websites, then pursued her own fine art interests for meaning in life. From the start of her figurative style in loving long hair, Ruth's first sale as a career was an international sale, followed by more commissions from friends & family. As thicker acrylic pastes became available from manufacturers, Ruth found fascination with textures faster than they could be made.

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What events or upbringing have shaped artistic direction?

What got Ruth into this Thick Paint was seeing an art manufacturer long ago, make cake decorating tips screw on the end of a paint tube. Their paint deflated & it phased out for years, but she never forgot the exciting idea. As the thick paint was developed better over time to hold ridges, she has now been able to create exciting forms & bring them to life.

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Seeing the grandness of Vegas,  Ruth immediately wanted to create a masterpiece of a painting so high in impasto relief & sculpture that it would stand off the surface of a painting a whole foot in depth, of all kinds of fabulous coral shapes, that could go in an aquarium, Vegas, or some underwater enthusiast's home.

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A serious illness in 2011 and healing time, led to furious testing for a separate layer drying that would enable phenomenal sculpting of paint in greater ways than traditional wet-into-wet painting. Once a stylized shape was formed, then she could put it back in the canvas for a much greater sculpted look. This was followed by an explosion of techniques that created a multitude of thick paint styles including the Jellyfish Squish, veiny Press & Peel textures, cut paint, marbleized fluid paintings, lace, & sea anemone.. These discoveries from testing have happened faster than Ruth can make whole painted examples.

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What has influenced Ruth?

*Cool tools and supplies

*Seeing the diversity of what this thick paint can do

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Current work

Ruth has explored many inventive processes and discoveries at what this thick paint can do next; but now would like to extend that to what the customer or business might like to see fit for their purposes.

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Artistic Direction

Ruth Collis has now expanded to the Pismo Beach area where she would like to connect a modern classy style of her coral textures to a tourist beach town, make her own exhibits and build gardens of peace and beauty.

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What does Ruth's art do for others?

​​Ruth's work of 16 paintings displayed in corporate collection at the Foothills Psychological center in Upland, California, where many doctors & office personnel have commented the artistic creativity brought a newness & happiness to their place. They were wanting to achieve a "less clinical" feel, & for their patients to feel comfortable & at home.

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Exhibitions

2012 Claremont Arts & Crafts Faire

2011 Search for the Incredible video entry online

2011 Associated Artists of the Inland Empire at Victoria Gardens Cultural Center, Rancho Cucamonga, California

1999 Corona Lemon Festival

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Honors

2013 Artist of the Week - The Art Colony

2012 Mention in The Art Colony's newsletter repeatedly

pre-2005 Commissions for friends & family all loved the use of thick paint to enhance their desired look​.