Mindy Colton

Upcoming Show .. Dreams & Reality at the Art League of Daytona Beach opens on February 5 from 1-4.

Mindy Z. Colton originally from New York City is a nationally exhibited and recognized artist whose work primarily focuses on using horses as a metaphor in her sculptures. She attended the Parsons School of Design and holds a B.F.A. from Washington University School of Fine Art in St. Louis. She also studied in San Miguel de Allendé and Loveland, Co. After many years as a professional graphic artist and illustration she turned her focus to sculpture.
Working in clay and wax she creates both one of a kind and limited edition works in bronze and other materials. Many of her works are expressionistic, almost abstract figurative or symbolic. She uses horses and other symbols to elicit a feeling or mood in her the work. In many pieces they are a metaphor, symbols for feelings, ideas and emotions.
She is a multiple State of Florida and United Arts of Central Florida Grant winner. Her works have been in two-person exhibits at Atlantic Center for the Arts at Harris House, New Smyrna Beach, FL and the Mt. Dora Center for the Arts, FL. Among recent awards are the Purchase Award in Sculpture in the “Horses in Art” Exhibit in the Washington State Thoroughbred Breeders & Foundation Exhibit, Award of Excellence in the Deland Museum of Art Juried Exhibition �Equus � and Best of Show in the Kissimmee Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. Her works have also been exhibited at the Ormond Memorial Museum Of Art in Ormond Beach, FL, Museum of Arts & Sciences, Daytona Beach, FL, Arts Alliance of Lee County, Ft. Myers, FL, Cornell Museum, Del Ray Beach, FL, Museum of florida Art, Deland, FLAnd the Albin Polasek Museum & Gardens, Winter park, FL, Northern Westchester Cultural Arts Center, Mt Kisco, Ny, ARC Gallery, Chicago.Other Accolades; International On-line Exhibition Upstream Gallery, Special Recognition Merit Award, “Best of Artists” Top 100 Florida Artists, Florida Edition, First Place for Sculpture.


Bio
Originally from New York City, Mindy now resides in Orlando on a small horse farm where she has her studio. Over ten years ago, she left behind a successful career as a graphic designer, illustrator, and publication director to follow her true passion as a sculptor and fine artist.

Mindy graduated with honors from the High School of Music & Art (Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts). She attended the prestigious Parson�s School of Design for two years, pursuing her passion in three-dimensional design, majoring in Industrial Design. She also studied at the Art Student�s League of New York. Mindy earned the B.F.A. from Washington University School of Fine Art in St. Louis, Mo. After college, Mindy moved to Lexington, Kentucky, to work in advertising as an Art Director and then at the University of Kentucky as publication specialist. Ten years later she accepted the position of Director of Publications at Kennesaw State College near Atlanta where she met her husband, Paul. His career brought them to Orlando where they have lived for 25 years. She holds an M.A. from the University of Central Florida.

Mindy�s award-winning fine art--including sculptures, paintings, mixed media, and photography--has been exhibited in numerous solo and two-person shows and more than 100 juried and group shows. She studied bronze casting at Creald� School of Art and advanced techniques and materials with master sculptors in Loveland, Colo., and Sedona, Ariz.

Mindy is a two-time State of Florida Grantee and three-time United Arts of Central Florida Grant recipient. Two of these grants were for large-scale, outdoor sculptures. Life-size copper �Lyric� is on an estate in Ocala, and �Renewal,� a monumental sculpture exhibited at Epcot, received Best of Show and People�s Choice Award in the 2006 Kissimmee Sculpture Experience and is in this year�s City of Boynton Beach Art in Public Places. �Wind Dancer,� a life-size Pegasus exhibited at the Epcot Sculpture Invitational, was purchased by the University of Central Florida Honors College. At the 2006 and 2010 Washington State Thoroughbred Breeder�s National Exhibit, she was awarded the Equine Art Purchase Trophy Award. In 2009, she was juried into the prestigious Boca Raton Museum of Art All-Florida Exhibit. She was also invited to show in the first City of Deland Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit this year.

Artists you admire/influences/inspiration
Growing up in New York gave me access to so much incredible art! Some of my earliest favorites were Bonheur, Gericault, Calder, Chagall, Marc, Klee, Miro, Renoir, and Hyatt-Huntington (cut down list). My parents were art lovers and collectors, and encouraged growth as an artist. I had classical art training from a young age through classes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then at Music and Art. I always gravitated toward art featuring horses but never had a preference for traditional or contemporary; I love elements of all art that is creative and well executed. I�m moved by color, energy, texture, and work that shows passion.

Work schedule/when most productive/where do you work
I live on a five-acre horse property with my husband, two dogs, and cat (names?). Years ago I designed and added a studio with big windows looking out on trees, pastures, and the barn. We�re very close to the Econ River and wildlife visit frequently. I work almost every day. My most productive hours are from about nine a.m. to three p.m. But if I get very immersed in a piece I sometimes don�t want to stop. It�s important, however, to step away and take a good look. I usually work on multiple pieces at the same time.

Interview from Winter Park Magazine
Favorite subjects/why
Horses, obviously. I�ve always loved horses. They�re beautiful, honest creatures and represent grace raw power and freedom. They are my muse and inspiration. I started riding when I was about five and was horse crazy from then on. I didn�t own my first horse until senior year of college when I got a part-time job at a big stable in St. Louis. I�ve owned and trained many wonderful horses over the years and judge horse shows around the state. Horses are also part of my family history. My maternal grandfather was a successful horseman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He owned a large training and sales barn on the east side of Manhattan. Most of the fire, police, cart, and carriage and park horses came from his stables. I guess that I inherited the love of horses from him.

Describe your work/style
The horse is an essential subject in my work, but concept can be just as important. In many pieces the horse is a visual metaphor for feelings, ideas, and emotions. I�ve done many anatomy studies and can make a very realistic horse. I�ve always felt that it�s important to know a subject well before changing it and taking it to another level. I create both one-of-a-kind and limited edition works and strive to create intriguing and thought-provoking art, although sometimes pieces result just from the joy of the creative process.

What mediums do you use
One of my favorite sayings is, �I haven�t met a medium I didn�t love.� I work in bronze, aluminum, steel, clay, celluclay and wood. I also paint and experiment with printmaking and photography. My larger, mixed media horses consist have legs of carved tree limbs. The small, ceramic horses have steel rods and heavy wires in them. It would be very hard to make the long, expressive legs sturdy in just clay. After firing they have to be re-sculpted since the clay cracks and breaks in the kiln. It�s a more laborious process than a regular clay firing and requires a lot of patience. But this is part of the story with sculpture.

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