Artist Roster

N Taylor Collins has been an artist since she made a collage in Miss Ewell’s kindergarten class in the fifties. Her main focus initially was folk art scenes that capture the way of life in Delaware and to a great extent Delmarva. After studying with Jack Lewis, a long -time WPA era artist who specialized in Plein air painting she has focused on Plein air and has been active in many venues. She helped found a weekly Plein air group, she participates in many regional and local painting events, and has exhibited widely over the years. She was a founder of Dover Art League efforts to establish as a viable 501(c) (3) and helped with education area and funding to secure a permanent site. She served on the Mayor’s Art Council, the Artist Colony Main Street project and as National President of National League of American Pen Women in Washington DC. She is also a publish writer and has been the owner of Parke Green Galleries for many years in downtown Dover.

Taylor firmly believes in living in the moment and retirement seems like a foreign concept. She has been faced with many challenges over her life from her father’s death when she was a teenager, to her husband’s MS and her mother’s stroke which required full-time caregiving, to other family challenges made worse by major health issues and the necessity of a full time job. Her creativity has been a mainstay and she stays focused on the purposes of life in spite of what hand you may be dealt. “Retirement” in and of itself seems a strange concept to her as a person’s healthiest and younger years are when focus really needs be on getting important things done with your life while you have extra energy and vigor. To retire seems a strange pursuit in life to her as she keeps the pedal to the metal as the saying goes and will be pursing her creative goals as long as she can. 

Taylor paints a series she calls “First Flags” as her gallery is located on such a historic spot. All flag paintings painted here are a tribute to Delaware being the first state to ratify the constitition and being so dedicated to the cause of freedom. We see visitors from all over the world and she is delighted to give them something of a historic nature. It is not often a person gets to stand where we officially began as the First State in this United effort. They it was Elizabeth Batelle’s cursive note that led historians to discover where that event actually occurred is so fun!  First flags have been popular since she started doing them as many state capital visitors like something totally unique and original as they travel around the country.