ARTIST BIO
My name is David Collins and I am an American artist of mostly Irish heritage. My grandfather was an artist and I have followed in his footsteps. My father Vincent brought our family from New Jersey to Lincoln, Nebraska where I grew up on the SAC Air Force Base. Dad was an officer in Air Force Intelligence and my mother was a housewife. I was a kid.
This work reflects my reactions to the world and its many situations. I explore my empathy for the human experience. The subject matter is a narrative and speaks to both the humorous and the arduous aspects of life, as an artist I am a storyteller. Most recently I have been working on images about the Katrina Hurricane and some of the images are presented here in this gallery. The characters evolve from my hand to the canvas and they then share with me their story to help me define the works final outcome.
I typically work on 3-5 works of art at a time and I find that the problems presented by one painting can be solved in another. Usually the work is not preconceived and I am able to bring strong emotional aspects from the subject matter to the viewer by the use of expressive line and immediate process. The work is either subjective or abstract, but it is always thought provoking.
My mentor’s comment:
David’s work evokes the playful depths of life and the unconscious thought. The lines slide across the surface and escape like tricksters off the edge of the page. He uses bright splashes of color to highlight the caricatures of human life; there is color in league with line to generate surprise. The work is light of spirit but also bold and confident and gives the viewer a narrative in disguise.” – Sally Brown artist
EDUCATION:
University of Minnesota – BFA
EXHIBITIONS:
Katherine Nash Gallery – BFA Graduation Show
Katherine Nash Gallery - Franke/Collins Two person Show
Brown 701 Gallery Studio Show
Minnetonka Center for the Arts – Juried Figure Show
Minnetonka Center for the Arts – Juried Drawing Show
Minnetonka Center for the Arts – Juried Member Show
Minneapolis Drawing Cooperative Show – Portraits
Minneapolis Drawing Cooperative Figure Show – Fronts and Backs
Keg House Collective 2005 Fall Show
Minneapolis Drawing Cooperative Figure Show – Unitarian Church
Keg House Collective – Invitational Solo Show
Minneapolis Drawing Cooperative – Spring Show
Hopkins Center for the Arts – With Ellen Thomson
PUBLICATIONS:
Minneapolis Star and Tribune - March 19, 2004
NEMAA International 2006 Press Kit
Hopkins Center for the Arts Calendar and web site
CORPORATE COLLECTIONS:
Bolger Printing Corporation
ABOUT MY WORK:
My imagery often evolves through my empathy for the human experience; there is often a story to be told or an emotion to be felt. I create art in my exploration of life and death, love and marriage, racism, alcoholism and the current state of American politics.
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