Alan Collins

Oils & Acrylics

I resurrected my interest in painting 5 years ago and quickly became inspired to paint scenes of rural Kansas after viewing a documentary about the Flint Hills. I had always heard people talk about how boring Kansas was and wanted to use my art as a means to change their mindset. So I decided to dedicate most my art to show the simple beauty of the rural Kansas.

My inspiration for my art comes from photographs I take while traveling around the state. I like to take photographs in the early morning and late evening to capture the color variations of the skies and the light and shadows as they lay across the land. I will often use the vast Kansas skies as a backdrop for the rural icons and landmarks I paint.

I favor a bright and bold color palette and will mix my paints right out of the tube adding minute amounts of white or mediums to reduce the intensity of the colors. I typically paint on canvas and will cover canvas with tissue paper to add texture. I also like painting on smooth surfaces and will paint on plywood and hardboards and have used them for many paintings. I make all of my frames and I like to use rough lumber to enhance the rustic nature of my rural Kansas paintings.

I feel that the inspiration and emphasis to create art about rural Kansas has given me the passion to help others discover its beauty and for me to develop and to hopefully become a better artist.