Long Story Short

A Sign for Help Series’ began with the discovery of discarded (homeless/in need of help) signs, collected in a cleanup effort for the Georgetown Carnival. I wanted to help share their stories by combining the signs with a young girl's scrapbook treasures from the 1930-40's in a way that collapses time and reinvents it. I feel a deep connection to the past, to the person who penned the letter, the faces in a photograph, the beauty, and the decay. Colleen grew up in rural Eastern WA and now lives in Seattle and teaches encaustic painting workshops in her studio in Georgetown. –Artist statement