David Collins

Field Guide

2017

By layering geometric planes and simple patterns on fields of rich color, David Collins conveys depth, movement, and a shifting sense of place using the formal elements of painting. In his paintings, structures develop suggesting folded paper, fragments of wings, domestic dwellings or industrial buildings. These images are drawn from childhood recollections of homes, construction sites in 1970s Dallas and from time spent in airplane hangars while visiting his father’s workplace. Planes of color crop up to create floors, wall-like surfaces, eaves and overhangs; silhouettes evoke cranes, cables and overpasses. Ultimately, these architectural notions do not remain whole, they fracture and fall away to reveal other chambers or the outside world. A simultaneity of interior and exterior space describes the liminal in-between. This falling away of form opens up the paintings to a dynamic landscape with a sense of forces moving in many directions at once. Collins' paintings reveal internal structure and order amidst chaos. Despite the shifting and multitudinous spaces, the paintings find resolution, achieving balance and stillness. Collins earned a BFA in painting from Rhode Island School of Design. He is a two-time recipient of the Yaddo Fellowship. His work has been featured in The New York Times and Dallas Art News. Collins' work is in numerous private and corporate collections.