The delight of imagination and the natural world inspire Colette to paint. She approaches her canvases with childlike abandon. All is spontaneous. Her paintings turn any environment into a retreat, calling upon the elements that surround the artist: the sea, the sky, the land. She often says she is inspired by the idea that something wonderful is about to happen. From her childhood in a small rural town to the seaside village, Colette’s artwork evokes the feeling of tasting ocean spray on your lips and running through a field chasing fireflies on a balmy summer evening. While Colette’s drive to paint is personal, the narratives she paints are intended to captivate
the viewer to experience their own sense of inspiration. Colette has had a 30‑year career as an artist, creating murals and wall coverings as well as paintings, illustrations, and drawings. A late bloomer, she feels as though she is just getting started. She works in her flagship atelier in downtown Santa Barbara, California, where she creates and exhibits her work. She has a collaboration with F. Schumacher & Company for a line of mural‑esque wall coverings that launched in February of 2021. She works and resides in Santa Barbara, California, with her husband, Peter Horjus, an award‑winning graphic designer and illustrator