Ashley Collins

ASHLEY COLLINS

Images Bio

Ashley Collins' stunning mixed media works defy convention.

"Her works convey a sense of peace and tranquility that many of us attempt, but few of us are able to achieve." -Robert Redford

Initially, the sheer scale of Collins' work is overwhelming. Her mythic visions integrate text and illustration recalling history, literature and the spirit of the figures she depicts. Her large scale mixed-media images exist in an ambiguous realm that captivates our imagination as well as our admiration. Her figures appear as candid moments of time theatrically caught in a split second. Printed words that appear in each painting are at first ambiguous. But closer examination reveals clues to suggest narrative.

The iron and copper-based paint, applied to the canvas and allowed to rust and weather outside for as long as a year, reinforces the significance of time past.

Using such materials as paper aged in her studio, the process of application is apparent in Collins' works. The effect of yellowed, aging texts and ancient surfaces painted into the works add a nostalgic feeling of looking at an old photograph or movie still. The use of resin provides depth and a tactile quality that is created by a meticulous course of layering and torching the surface. The viewer is compelled to touch these canvases, which at times include in excess of thirty layers. Hidden or obscured imagery as well as the figurative incorporation of animals, humans, and invocation of text, ignite a calm in our otherwise hectic environment of information overload. Collins' imagery is uniquely enigmatic while certainly awe inspiring.

"I am often asked, since horses feature prominently in many of my works, what it is about the horse that makes them often the subject, whether in the forefront of a figurative work, or the hidden obscured imagery of my more abstract works? If you have ever ridden, ever fallen, ever looked into the size and wisdom of the eyes, there is an honesty -this honesty is oft repeated in nature, and is what we spend most of our lives aspiring to.... much of my more abstract work involves obscured imagery of people, and again, it is the honesty and the goodness in the eyes that pulls our soul and speaks without words." - Ashley Collins

Life

Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 8 feet

Caballo

Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 5 feet

Race

Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 5 feet

Tribe

4 x 7, Mixed media on canvas

Wayward

Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 6 feet

Perform

Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 6 feet

Notorious Clowns

Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 5 feet

Calm

Mixed media on canvas, 2 x 4 feet

Strength

Mixed media on canvas, 2 x 4 feet

Adriel

Mixed media on canvas, 3 x 5 feet

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	ASHLEY COLLINS Images Bio Ashley Collins' stunning mixed media works defy convention. "Her works convey a sense of peace and tranquility that many of us attempt, but few of us are able to achieve." -Robert Redford Initially, the sheer scale of Collins' work is overwhelming. Her mythic visions integrate text and illustration recalling history, literature and the spirit of the figures she depicts. Her large scale mixed-media images exist in an ambiguous realm that captivates our imagination as well as our admiration. Her figures appear as candid moments of time theatrically caught in a split second. Printed words that appear in each painting are at first ambiguous. But closer examination reveals clues to suggest narrative. The iron and copper-based paint, applied to the canvas and allowed to rust and weather outside for as long as a year, reinforces the significance of time past. Using such materials as paper aged in her studio, the process of application is apparent in Collins' works. The effect of yellowed, aging texts and ancient surfaces painted into the works add a nostalgic feeling of looking at an old photograph or movie still. The use of resin provides depth and a tactile quality that is created by a meticulous course of layering and torching the surface. The viewer is compelled to touch these canvases, which at times include in excess of thirty layers. Hidden or obscured imagery as well as the figurative incorporation of animals, humans, and invocation of text, ignite a calm in our otherwise hectic environment of information overload. Collins' imagery is uniquely enigmatic while certainly awe inspiring. "I am often asked, since horses feature prominently in many of my works, what it is about the horse that makes them often the subject, whether in the forefront of a figurative work, or the hidden obscured imagery of my more abstract works? If you have ever ridden, ever fallen, ever looked into the size and wisdom of the eyes, there is an honesty -this honesty is oft repeated in nature, and is what we spend most of our lives aspiring to.... much of my more abstract work involves obscured imagery of people, and again, it is the honesty and the goodness in the eyes that pulls our soul and speaks without words." - Ashley Collins Life Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 8 feet Caballo Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 5 feet Race Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 5 feet Tribe 4 x 7, Mixed media on canvas Wayward Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 6 feet Perform Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 6 feet Notorious Clowns Mixed media on canvas, 4 x 5 feet Calm Mixed media on canvas, 2 x 4 feet Strength Mixed media on canvas, 2 x 4 feet Adriel Mixed media on canvas, 3 x 5 feet