Gary Kollberg

Gary Kollberg has always been an artist. From his earliest years, he knew that his creative focus and ability would serve as his primary means of expression. His focus led him from the Art Institute of Chicago to a full scholarship and graduated with honors from the Parson School of Design in 1959 to a career that included senior designer positions with the best advertising and package design firms in the industry and ultimately to the founding of his own firm, Kollberg/Johnson Associates, in 1980, in New York. During his stewardship, his firm won seven CLIOS in multiple product categories over a 20-year period as well as over 400 Awards of Excellence earned in industry competitions for his firm's design work.  In all this time he continued to create and produce individual art in his spare time. As an artist, he was first a watercolorist, a medium that he has perfected for over 50 years. His subjects tend to be drawn from nature and the outdoors, with landscapes featuring woodland scenes and rustic buildings. His art has been exhibited in numerous venues in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Sweden and his work is represented in many private collections in the U.S.

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Following 9/11, his focus changed. When the Twin Towers were hit, Gary and his wife were living in Weehawken, N.J., in a house on a cliff overlooking the Hudson River, with breathtaking panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline, from the Intrepid Museum south to the World Trade Center. Watching the buildings collapse affected him deeply. Gary believes that the event “crystallized people’s support for their country”, and led him artistically in a new direction. He began creating assemblages, or dimensional collages, featuring patriotic memorabilia and Americana.

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The pieces are red, white, and blue, and feature icons of American patriotism: flags, eagles, Uncle Sam, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, the nation's Capitol, the presidents, and the Stars and Stripes. Gary Kollberg was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, married his high school sweetheart, and moved east. After retiring from a 40-year career in New York, he and his wife, Sally, moved to Connecticut and settled in Farmington Valley, where Gary spends all of his free time creating. 

“I often begin a piece with an inspirational color sketch, a very quick rendition to position and visualize major components. Much of my art has one of our country’s most enduring symbols, the Bald Eagle, as a center of interest. Elements are arranged, sizes and proportions are considered, providing a composition using depth to add visual excitement. A conscious effort is made to put great emphasis on our country’s color scheme, the Red, White, and Blue.”