Collins, Matthew

Matthew Collins was born in Liverpool, Nova Scotia and continues to live in the area. He received his B.F.A. from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (1998), where his main focus was painting and art history.

Matthew has shown his work in numerous solo and group shows along the South Shore, Halifax and Montreal. He received a Creation Grant from Arts Nova Scotia (2013) and has had his work purchased by the Nova Scotia Art Bank (2013 & 2015). His work is represented by public, corporate and private collections in Canada, Germany, Holland and the United States.

Artist’s Statement

I am primarily a painter, dividing my time between landscape painting and conceptual explorations. Periodically, I'll work with collage and metal sculptures formed from discarded materials. However, I'm best known for my landscape paintings. I paint these works freely with an emphasis on colour and mark-making. The majority of these paintings are coastal scenes along the South Shore. My main focus is making a good painting, rather than a realistic representation of the subject. Paint application takes centre stage over minute details. For me, the painting process holds equal value to the subject being portrayed.