30-year run included not only all of Idaho’s governors and Boise’s mayors, but also many prominent artists, musicians, and, to a large extent, common citizens who simply happened to be a local expert on some topic—a judge of international rock-collecting competitions, for instance. Collias' style of portraiture combines realism with a rough naturalistic touch, and the artist has referred to his technique in interviews as "scribblism." During the 1970s Collias also began working with Boise State University, both as an occasional instructor and as an artist in residence. He designed the Athletic Department logo that represented the school during the 1980s and 90s, as well as the portraits filling the Allen Noble Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame. These years also saw him complete his largest work, a 10’ x 35’ mural titled "A Portrait of A Distinguished State," which served as the backdrop at National Bicentennial celebrations in Idaho during 1976. This project put to work the landscape skills Collias had been developing in his free time from Statesman work, and which featured prominently in the artist’s retrospective exhibition "John Collias: A Life in the Studio," which ran at the Idaho State Historical Museum in Boise in 2006. In July 2010, over 225 of Collias’ works were collected in the book John Collias: Round About the Boise Valley, written by the artist’s grandson, journalist Nick Collias, and which featured an introduction by Statesman columnist Tim Woodward and a proclamation by Idaho Governor C.L. Butch Otter. The artist continued to work in Boise and contribute to Boise State and the College of Idaho's respective athletic halls of fame. References External links Official site for John Collias: Round About the Boise Valley, the book collecting Collias' work. An interview with Collias in Boise Weekly, 2007. Proclamation declaring October 12, 2009 to be John Collias Day in Idaho. 1918 births 2017 deaths Artists from Idaho Artists of the American West People from Boise, Idaho United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II