By JEFFARAH GIBSON
Tribune Features Writer
jgibson@tribunemedia.net
VETERAN artists Nicole Collie makes no apology for her nude art. Her latest collection of paintings, featuring the naked female form, makes it hard to believe it once made her uncomfortable. She was once fearful that her work would be misinterpreted as sinful and explicit. As a result she kept her more exposed paintings hidden in her studio.
“For many years I did not share my paintings with anyone because I knew what the reaction was going to be. People believed that nude paintings were sinful. I have not always been able to talk so freely about my work because I was still trying to understand why I do what I do. I have had so many people in my past question what I do. Ask me to change what I paint and to go so far as calling it porn,” said Nicole.
In her latest renderings, nude female figures resurface as the dominant feature. The paintings will be mounted in an upcoming solo exhibition in College Park Georgia, Nicole’s current residence, on March 22.
Nicole says the paintings of the unclothed female body are not intended to evoke sexual arousal, and are to be appreciated as aesthetic objects.