ann collins was born in lyons, new york. her father went to colorado for his health and worked for a timber operations as an overseer soon after she was born. she lived with her parents, cornelius and lisetta, and older sister, ellen. she grew up in a remote area of colorado where buffalo ran wild on the 25 mile tract of land. at four years of age was given a pony. she was breaking in colts and riding any horse on the tract by the time she was eight years old. she began drawing ponies as a young girl and at the age of 14 went to school at a convent. her father's health improved and the family returned to lyons. in 1934, she graduated from lyons central school. she studied art at syracuse university. her professors encouraged her to pursue oil painting and two years later had her first exhibit on the lawn of the saratoga gambling casino, piping rock, which her father ran with red dywer. col. e.r. bradley bought one of her paintings there and launched her career.