In his latest exhibit, local artist and educator Calvin Collins ditches his sophisticated paintings for lowbrow art materials — spray paint, resin and glitter — to pay homage to his favorite films.

After garnering a reputation for his fine work in oils, Collins departs from his roots in his first mixed-media exhibit, "Criterion: New Mixed Media Works by Calvin Collins," at the Gallery of Hawaii Artists, or GoHA. The works showcase photo stills from films released by the legendary film distribution house Criterion.

"Calvin’s been able to create a magical aesthetic that transcends both 2-D and 3-D. When you look at (his work), you question whether it’s a photo, painting or sculpture," said Carolyn Mirante, GoHA’s owner and director.

"From the stills of the movie, I wanted to simply evoke a visceral, emotional response. Even if you’ve never seen the films, maybe from my pieces I could generate an interest in people wanting to watch it," said Collins, an instructor of fashion design and sketching at Honolulu Community College and art at the Honolulu Museum of Art School and Kapiolani Community College.

Collins snapped photographs of memorable scenes off his TV monitor and mounted the images on a resin surface. He sanded the works to create both glossy and matte appearances, then embellished them with spray paint, glitter and lacquer.

"I love taking photographs and watching films, and I was thinking, ‘How do I combine these two together?’" he said.

The showcase features images from such films as Christopher Nolan’s "Insomnia" (2002) and "Mouchette," a 1967 film directed by Robert Bresson.

Collins’ venture outside his comfort zone was a perfect fit for GoHA. Mirante says her gallery usually focuses on emerging contemporary artists.

"We want artists that push the boundaries of what they can do, and that’s what Calvin has done," she said.

While Collins is thrilled with his 22-piece collection, he says creating the body of work was definitely a slow process. Most pieces took an average of six days to cure, for instance. The entire show was a year in the making.

Working with a smaller canvas was also a different experience for the artist. As an oil painter, Collins is used to producing his art on a 6- to 7-foot scale. His "Criterion" pieces are significantly tinier, ranging in size from 8 by 11 inches to 11 by 14 inches.

"Oil painting is an old, old medium, and I wanted to do something a little more contemporary and industrial; and it was fun. I had such a good time with it," Collins said. "It was also more of an intimate process to work in a smaller space than I’m accustomed to."

While Collins enjoyed working with new materials, he’s reverting back to oils for his next collection, which will again revolve around the Criterion collection.

"For me it’s about paying homage to Criterion films because they speak to me in a cultural and emotional context," he said. "Ultimately, I want people to look at the images and pique their interest in the film and have it stand out in their memory."