Polish Gothic artist wants to shock | News, Sports, Jobs

Submitted photo: At 17, Karina Collins has a cult following of celebrities who have her art in their homes, including Alice Cooper (left).

POLAND – At 17, Karina Collins is not only a naturally talented local artist, she also lives the lifestyle of an artist to the fullest.

Collins, who calls herself “the honorary goth,” seeks to shock audiences with her works and create a type of art that draws attention and provokes thought.

“I love anything that is shocking and controversial. I live in Poland and it’s a small, humble community, but I love to shock people. I love when people give me interesting looks when I go out in full traditional gothic clothing,” she said. “I’m fascinated by subcultures and love expressing myself as an artist.”

Her work has been significantly influenced by music and gothic subcultures, with the latter influencing her art in varying forms.

There is also a holiday that allows Collins to fully immerse herself in her creativity.

“Every Halloween I love dressing up in a grotesque, intense costume, and every year my neighbors look forward to my Halloween costumes. They have never seen anything like my costumes,” she said.

Although Collins grew up in Poland, she was surrounded by old-school punk, post-punk and new wave music. Her father, Dr. Jim Collins, has an impressive vinyl collection and has played in a few local bands in the past.

When she was young, Collins would go through her father’s vinyl collection and try to draw the album covers. In addition to being a visual artist, Collins also plays the guitar.

The first musician her father “introduced” her to was David Bowie, and her first concert was KISS at the Covelli Centre, followed by another where she saw the Violent Femmes with Echo & The Bunnymen.

Her love of art led to her having an impressive fan base.

She has created portraits and artwork for William Shatner, Alice Cooper (Vincent Furnier), all members of KISS and the cast of the series “Ancient Aliens”, to name a few.

Her preferred media in art include oil painting, oil pastels, oil-based colored pencils, digital art, and graphite.

Before diving into her art, Collins wanted to pursue a more political path until she began winning awards for her creations last year.

“At the time, I thought I was pretty good at art, but I thought I could also make political commentary,” Collins said. “Then I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and make political commentary much better with my art.”

For Collins, Dutch filmmaker, author, artist and actor Tom Six is ​​a great inspiration for her artwork.

Collins has won numerous awards for her artwork at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and at the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition, which placed her in the top 100 in Ohio. During her freshman year at Ursuline, Collins’ work was featured in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Exhibition in New York City.

She said the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards are for grades 7 through 12 and students must submit their work to this show. Collins said each year she tries to submit as many mediums as possible to showcase her diverse talents.

Collins was recently accepted to the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.

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