The illustration for this article is titled “Primitive Hunter”, a young girl in the African bush with an antique American buffalo rifle. The savagery is juxtaposed with the delicateness of the young model, highlighted by a rough African landscape. Interestingly artist Leann Collins never missed a chance to create fine art even in the midst of a safari in the bush.
Seeing art created out of rural Africa makes one wonder – “Isn’t there something better than the tired old trophy pictures” … Professional photographer Leann Collins, a hunter herself, answers in a strong affirmative - “Yea there is!” We are presenting some never before displayed works of her very unique style.
It’s an alternative when taxidermy just isn’t financially feasible. Many hunters have taxidermy bills higher than their hunting budget. Where do you go from there? Without a doubt you seek to honor the animal. So sometimes you bite the bullet and pay for the taxidermist when money is short, and unfortunately the results are highly disappointing. An alternative is turning your hunting trophy pictures into fine art and displaying it with pride on your walls.
In Leann’s case besides being an accomplished huntress she is also an internationally published photographer. Her work has appeared in magazines worldwide and galleries throughout the United States. Leann also only lacks her leopard in completing her Big Five.
One of Ms. Collins specialties is photo-impressionism. First let’s explain – this isn’t done by computer or Photoshop. It is unique, one of a kind handcrafted work by a talented master. She is the only artist that has treated hunting themes in this innovative manner. Collin’s Photo-impressionism is fine art, done completely by hand, and not digitally created. Leann advanced the craft of emulsion manipulation to new heights, pioneering a new technique that was taught in national cutting edge art schools. This is direct manipulation of the emulsion or negative.
This art is now lost as the film used to create the technique has been relegated to the dusty shelves of the archives of photo-history. Nationally there are only a handful of these photo-impressionist works available. The number of photographers who mastered this art was always limited and Collins was one of the few who excelled. These works won national photography awards in professional competition.
They look textural when printed on large canvases. These are some of the only photo-impressionist work created of African hunting scenes. This doesn’t end the tradition of hunting themed fine art photography. Ms. Collins display with this article also shows a still life of a hunter’s favorite Spanish AYA No. 1 engraved side by side: a cherished memory forever captured and rendered into fine wall art. Hunting fine art need not only be photo-impressionism, but rather any capturing that memorializes a special time, a special feeling and a special memory.
