Colleene has lived in many parts of Michigan and has also resided in Augsburg, Germany; Vicenza, Italy; Munich, Germany; Cleveland OH; and Philadelphia, PA. Currently, she lives in the Cleveland area of OH.
As a child living in Vicenza, Italy, Colleene was inspired by the glass blowers in Venice, which led to her art interest in glass as a teenager. She graduated from Kent State University with a BA in Graphic Design and a minor in Illustration. While at Kent, she took several courses in glass; which included contemporary flat glass as well as three-dimensional casting. She also took pre-college classes in Drawing, Photography, Calligraphy and Watercolor at the Cleveland Institute of Art. While in Philadelphia, Colleene enrolled at the Hot Soup Glass Blowing Studios. She recently took glassblowing classes at the Steinart Glass School in Kent Ohio.
Colleene is inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphics, Asian Calligraphy and Maya and Aztec art. Also inspiring her are the works of Paul Klee, Joan Miro and Alexander Calder.