Chronology Pg 1

B I O G R A P H Y C H R O N O L O G Y

1946

Born in Toledo, OH

Born into a struggling, working class family, Colleen Ross was the youngest of three children. She found refuge from her life, by escaping into her art and imagination. She began drawing at a very early age and began painting by age 15. Colleen developed and refined her craft by capturing her environment on canvas and paper. As she grew up in small town, Maumee, OH, isolated from anything metropolitan, Colleen found escape and inspiration in the movies. Mesmerized by the glamour, drama and perfection of Hollywood starlets, such as Marilyn Monroe, Gean Tierney, and Audrey Hepburn, she became profoundly influenced.

“The faces I paint are the faces that I stared at in movies, larger than life, glamorous. They are not who we are in reality, they are magical visions of who we are. There’s a transformation that goes on, they change as we change, and the interpretation differs for everyone, like Rorschach ink spot tests. The paintings are abstracts of who we are, of what we are, that are full of beauty and color and magic.” (2002)

1963

Colleen moved to the West Coast, and spent a year in Southern California attending high school. She spent her time immersing herself in the SoCal scene of surfers, Woodies, and sunshine.

1970

Was graduated from Bowling Green State University, earning a B.S. in Art Education with a minor in Painting and Sociology.

1970 -1972

Taught high school art in Ann Arbor Michigan.

1976

Moved to Phoenix, AZ

1986-1989

1989-1990

1990-1996

1996-2003

1946-1985

2003-2005

1979

Began painting professionally.

1979-1983

Signed by galleries in Sedona and Scottsdale AZ

Colleen Ross held several one-woman exhibitions in Scottsdale, AZ. Unlike a traditional showing of multiple artists, Ross was the sole artist.

1983

Colleen Ross One Woman Show

Scottsdale AZ

1983-1984

Signed with the Upstairs Gallery

Beverley Hills and Newport Beach, CA

1984

Limited Edition Serigraph Release

“Wish I May”

Upstairs Gallery

Beverley Hills and Newport Beach, CA

Colleen Ross had a one woman exhibition on La Ciencia Blvd. in Beverly Hills. This exhibition was not only a sell-out show, but local police were called to break up fights people were having over Colleen’s artwork.

1985-1993

Hanson Galleries

New York, Maui, San Francisco, Beverley Hills, Carmel, Sausalito, New Orleans, La Jolla

Signed by Scott Hanson in 1985, Colleen Ross went on to have over 25, successful, one-woman shows in eight years and became the 2nd highest grossing published artist for Hanson Galleries.