Colleen Simmons

I am Colleen. At 25 years old, I know I am a forever artist. Art has always been a part of my life. Drawing at a young
age, painting, finding the art of clay in high school and continuing that journey to college; I graduated with a degree in
Ceramics and Art History. Now I am truly living my dreams in Costa Rica where I am teaching, painting, drawing, and
enjoying ceramics classes at the Centro Civico! Besides my love of art… I love nature. I find joy in all plants and
creatures, big and small. I love the beach, I love music, I love connecting with people and having deep discussions
about life. I love reading and watching movies. I am really enjoying learning the language of Spanish. I love traveling
as I love learning and when I travel I learn so much about myself and the world. I love humans and human culture
and thinking about the future of humanity.

My medium will be COLOR and JOY ! Expressed with acrylic paint! I imagine myself live painting a huge canvas
while simultaneously opening and facilitating a second canvas …a 3-day collaborative painting with the beautiful
attendants at the festival.

I was born in the United States, in Washington DC. All my family lives there, except my sister Emily, who has been
living in Jaco for 5 years. I would always visit her and each time it got harder to leave. I returned to visit her in
December 2020. I planned to stay 3 months but I have been living and working in Jaco for two years now. I want my
life here. I love the beach, the mountains, the community and experiences I found here.
This would be a workshop but more of a work station, where a large canvas is displayed each day of the festival and
open for all to paint on. This is an open canvas but not for someone to doodle their name or hearts or smiley faces,
there is a theme to follow as you paint. The theme of the painting would be inspired by the name of the festival itself!
JUNGLE DREAMING! I was really inspired by some words I read on the Jungle Dreaming Facebook event. The
section “IF PLANTS DREAMED OF YOU” caught my eye. I imagined those two questions as a painting, what would it
look like? How cool would it be to hear and see other people’s artistic perspective on these ideas ? How amazing
would it be to open a space where people can connect and share, muse on nature and dreams, make art together
while engaging in beautiful discussion, expand on ideas though painting! The theme really allows people to align with
the mission statement of the festival, while also finding cohesion in their art with these light and open guidelines.
People will be engaged in the painting’s process, they will have a clue what strangers were thinking as they painted.
Everyone can share what they are seeing in the painting and can watch throughout the festival as it changes and
grows.