Portrait of Gerard Collins, Strathbutler 2001(photo – James Wilson)
“… a huge amount of energy and vibrant colours seem to leap from the canvas …”
Saint John painter, Gerard Collins won the Strathbutler Award in 2001. His paintings which are rooted in his home have relevance far beyond. As the jury noted in its decision, “Gerard Collins is one of the finest painters in Canada. His work has a bit of a decorative edge but he pushes the genre over the edge. There is a huge amount of energy and vibrant colours seem to leap from the canvas.”
Collins studied at St. Martin’s School of Art in London England, received a BFA from Nova Scotia College of Craft and Design and rounded out his formal training with Gerhard Richter in Dusseldorf Staaliche Kunstakademie in Germany.
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Collins works in thematic series feeling that no single painting can do justice to the ideas that inspire his art. Art critic Murray Littlejohn noted that Collins mocks the trend to reduce art to a decorative role in society, robbing it of its cognitive value. His landscapes and portraits prompt the viewer to challenge the importance of money and technology in modern life.