FIT Graduate Displays Artwork at Township Library

Fashion Institute of Technology graduate and Teaneck resident Jacqueline Collier has her artwork on display at the this month. Her exhibit, “Black & White & In Living Color” is a combination of both watercolor pieces and monotypes.

“I would say I’m a watercolorist even though I do like to do other mediums,” Collier said. “I like printmaking too. I do a lot of monotypes. It’s black and white, and color.”

Collier has been an artist her entire life.

“I started painting as a child, I was always painting, drawing on things and always interested in art. I can’t remember not drawing on a piece of anything,” she said.

Collier learned about art throughout high school and continued her studies at FIT. After graduation, she got a job as a middle school special education teacher.

“I thought special ed. in middle school and that population of students lends itself well to art so I sort of incorporated that in my program,” Collier said. “I always liked kids and I just sort of fell into it and I found that I was very good at working with that population of students.”

After teaching for 30 years, Collier decided it was time to retire and focus on her art again. Two years ago she began painting again and has won numerous competitions and earned two honorable mentions for her work.

Collier said she likes the challenges that watercolors present, as opposed to other mediums such as oil paints.

“Originally I had studied oil painting and then one day I said, 'I want to try it,' and I just fell in love,” she said. “Once you put it down it’s there, it’s not like oil where you can scrape it off or paint over it.”

She also loves the fluidity of watercolors.

“I just love the translucentness of the paint on the paper,” Collier said. “People say my paintings are soft.”

Collier’s paintings are for sale at the library this month, but she said she likes doing displays primarily to share her work with others.

“It’s more fun and satisfying to share it with people,” she said.

Come see Jacqueline Collier’s watercolors and monotypes at the Township of Washington Library, 144 Woodfield Road, through the end of August, or check out her website. The library is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.