Carson Collins

I’ve been working on an art project that I call The Ocean Series for the past thirty-three years.

The Ocean Series is a Remodernist response to the color-field paintings of Mark Rothko. Intriguing, relaxing, and evocative, these colorful images appeal to serious art lovers, those who meditate, and ocean lovers as well. Originals, prints, a calendar, and affordable signed posters can be purchased on line.

The central theme in my painting is the search for stillness, the sort of profound and lucid calm that is the result of meditation or contemplation; another main theme is the relationship between humans, the ocean, and the atmosphere. The intent of my work is to create an ambiance where the spiritual dimension of this relationship can be experienced.

Once in a while a commercial gallery will invite me to do an exhibition. Solos include:

Sarah Rentschler Gallery, NYC, NY, USA, 1980
Samadhi Gallery, San Francisco, CA, USA 1982
Galleria Expressiva, San Jose, COSTA RICA, 1987
Norro Gruppen Konstgallerie, Stockholm, SWEDEN, 1991
Hodgell Gallery, Sarasota, FL, USA, 1994
Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA), Hollywood (Miami), FL, USA, 1996
Sekanina Contemporary Arts, Ferrara, ITALY, 2003
Elevator Gallery, Venice Beach (Los Angeles) California, USA, 2005.

I’m nomadic, never stay in one place for more than a year or two; don’t have any possessions except for what I can carry on the metal birds. So far I’ve lived in 9 of the USA States and 6 other countries. I prefer warm places, but anywhere with a left coast will do – for a while.

When I’m not painting I mostly spend the time walking or sitting on the beach, staring at the ocean. I meditate. I surf when I can. I take part-time work when it’s available; have had quite a variety of dead-end, no-brainer jobs, some of which I liked. I’ve got an MD degree from the University of Texas that I’ve chosen to ignore. You might also say that I have the equivalent of a PhD in ‘coping’.

Joined: September 2007

Journals

My Process, a Photo-Essay

This is where I live (digital photograph). / This is what I paint (cropped and enlarged from the photograph above). / This is a typical result (not based directly on any photograph; I don’t even own a camera). / My paintings, while they may appear realistic to some people and in certain contexts , are actually highly abstracted. This can be sen very clearly when they are viewed side-by side…

Posted about 1 year – 4 comments

USA to Legalize Art Theft

Posted over 3 years – 6 comments

What Love Is

Posted almost 4 years – 9 comments

The City Without Art

Posted almost 4 years – 4 comments

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