Check It Out!

The Gallery at Canton Public Library features the watercolors and assemblages of Gary Kollberg for the months of March and April.  The show opens on Monday, March 1 and continues through Friday, April 30.

    Through both vocation and avocation, Gary Kollberg has followed an artistic bent.  He has studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Parsons School of Design. He developed a career in graphic design, culminating in the formation of Kollberg/Johnson Associates in 1980 in New York City.  Prior to his retirement in 2001, his firm received numerous awards in multiple product categories.  As an artist, he was first a watercolorist, a medium he has been perfecting for more than 50 years.  His subjects tend to be drawn from nature and the outdoors, with landscapes featuring woodland scenes and rustic buildings.

    Following 9/11, his focus changed, however.  When the Twin Towers were hit, Gary and his wife were living in Weehawken, N.J., in a house on a cliff overlooking the Hudson River, with a panoramic view from the Intrepid Museum to the Trade Center.  Watching the buildings collapse affected him deeply.  The event “crystallized people’s support for their country,” said Kollberg, and led him artistically in a new direction.  He began creating assemblages, or dimensional collages, featuring patriotic memorabilia and Americana.  The pieces are red, white, and blue and an occasional splash of gold, and feature the icons of American patriotism:  flags, eagles, Uncle Sam, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, the nation’s Capitol, the Presidents, and the Stars andStripes.

“I have found that the assemblages appeal especially to members of the military, whose job it is to secure our safety and freedom,” said Kollberg.  “One of my objectives is to show my appreciation for those individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

    Kollberg grew up in Illinois.  His art has been exhibited in numerous venues in New Jersey and New York.  His work is represented in many private collections in the U.S.  He moved to Connecticut in 2004 and now resides in the Farmington Valley.