Ritchie Collins

Inspired By Myth and By Reality

Born in Prestwick on the west coast of Scotland in 1978, Ritchie Collins has had a life long interest in art. Much of his art to this day is inspired by that coastline which he knows so well. His art often depicts wild countryside. But, on top of that, he also takes influence from Celtic folklore and myth. When you look at one of his paintings, you might well get the strong sense that this mixture of passions - in wild countryside and ancient mythology - is at play.

Vivid Colours and Rich Textures

This is not to say that his artwork is always based upon those themes. But there is a palpable sense of magic conjured up in his style. Vibrant colours and rich textures abound. His style is instantly recognisable, though it is not just style for style's sake. He has clearly developed his own artistic voice with such personal integrity that it is now as though he speaks a language at once his own and universal, and these flashes of colour and bright, bold shapes are part of this language.

Otherworldly Original Art

Ritchie Collins studied painting and illustration at the College of Building and Printing, Glasgow before then settling in Edinburgh. it is not just Ritchie's technical mastery which drives his artwork but also his level of inspiration. He has said that dreams and memory inform much of his work. In this way, his evocations of a place, whether in Scotland or further afield, are shaped by his sensory memory of the place. In this way, real life is transformed into something which seems to go beyond the realms of the everyday and into the domain of magic, myth and the otherworldly.