Infected By Art Book - Volume 6 Judges
Colin and Kristine Poole
Born into families with artistic lineages, Colin and Kristine Poole have been following their creative paths since childhood. Through their early years, they developed similar passions for representational art and rendering the human figure. They came separately to Santa Fe over two decades ago. Their paths converged in 2008 when he asked her to dance a Tango. Married in Greece the following year, they combined their artistic talents to develop their current style of classically inspired contemporary realism. They are devoted to their study at museums around the world, making annual pilgrimages to draw inspiration from many diverse genres, artists and periods.
Their collaborative clay and bronze sculptures have been featured in The Wall Street Journal and have been recognized with awards in various international publications including Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Infected by Art and The International Art Renewal Center Salon among others. Together, they have been commissioned to create works for Spectrum, The Denver ComicCon, The NM Department of Game and Fish, Big Brothers Big Sisters as well as large scale bronze public art works.
Colin has worked exclusively as a professional artist since graduating with honors from Connecticut College in 1986 with a major in art and a concentration in sculpture. He continued his professional education apprenticing with master sculptor Una Hanbury, metal sculptor David Smalley and master printmaker Lou Stovall. Seeking out new means of expression, he quickly discovered his love of oil painting.
Self-taught as a painter, Colin has exhibited his paintings and sculptures in over twenty museums and 65 galleries across the country. His works are included in over 350 collections internationally. His corporate commission clients of note include: Lourdes Cathedral-France, National Geographic Society, Saatchi and Saatchi, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Mint, U.S. Postal Service, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Daimler-Benz, Dolphin Cruise Line, DuPont, Exxon, Freightliner, Grainger Corporation, Hilton, International Paper, J. Walter Thompson, Lexus, Mitsubishi International, Nabisco, Orion Satellites, PBS, Sony, Standard Pacific, Sun Microsystems and the William Morris Agency. He has been invited to lecture on his artwork for organizations across the country including the Smithsonian Institution, the Albuquerque Museum of Art, the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, the Las Cruces Museum of Art, Virginia Commonwealth University and Western New Mexico University.
Kristine began her professional education at Northern Michigan University. After graduating Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in ceramic sculpture, she continued her artistic development apprenticing with master ceramist John Glick and master glass blower Steven Hourigan as well as developing her proficiency in all aspects of the bronze casting process at Shidoni Foundry. Her life-sized clay and bronze figurative work is currently represented exclusively by EVOKE Contemporary in Santa Fe, NM and is included in museum collections and private fine art collections of note around the country. Her work has been reviewed and featured in various international publications including Spectrum, 500 Figures in Clay, Ceramics Ireland, Art Ltd., Fine Art Today, the Art Renewal Center International Salon Catalogue. She frequently gives demonstrations, offers professional training on creating large-scale sculpture, and lectures on art and business, most recently at the Albuquerque Museum of Art, Las Cruces Art Museum, Georgia O’keefe Museum and Santa Fe College.
The Pooles currently live and create in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountains overlooking Santa Fe surrounded by their menagerie of birds and beasts.
