WASHINGTON, PA (Oct. 7, 2015) — Artist Dylan Collins will bring his work to Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) this month with Color Coded, a series of artwork that uses bold color and unique sculpture to draw attention to the complex relationships between organic bodies and the desires of a man-made world.
The exhibit opens Oct. 30 with a reception from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Olin Fine Art Gallery and runs through Dec. 6. Collins will give a gallery talk at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 30.
“This series, which I worked on from 2005-2012, was hugely important in my overall artistic development, bringing together my interests in topics as varied as color theory, metal fabrication, biology, and science fiction,” said Collins, Assistant Professor and Sculpture Program Coordinator at West Virginia University.
In his studio practice, Collins focuses on fabrication techniques such as sculptural blacksmithing and welding, as well as casting techniques using metal, plastic, and rubber – elements he uses in the three-dimensional pieces in Color Coded.
“This arresting color belies the weirdness of these pieces, as they have a tenuous, almost precarious, sense of balance and an overall sense of anatomy that doesn't logically add up,” he said.
Collins said drawing is fundamental to his artistic practice, both as a way of problem solving and as a means of visualizing space. The two-dimensional pieces in Color Coded tweak the language of visualization and organizational tools, such as food chains, exploded view diagrams, and other diagrammatic systems.
“These flat works also showcase my interest in topics such as anatomy, life drawing, value, and perspective, topics which I have been engaged with over the past decade in my role teaching the practice of observational drawing at the university level,” he said.
Collins has shown pieces from the Color Coded series in exhibits across the country, but this will be the first time all the sculptures and drawings will be shown together, in the same gallery space.
His work has been exhibited at Spartanburg Art Museum, the Boston Center for the Arts, the Torpedo Factory Art Center, Buffalo State College’s Czurles-Nelson Gallery, Mississippi State University’s McComas Gallery, and at the University of North Florida Gallery of Art.
**All Olin Fine Art Gallery events and exhibitions are free and open to the public. The Gallery is open seven days a week from noon to 7 p.m. during exhibitions, and is closed during college breaks. The Gallery is in Olin Fine Arts Center at 285 East Wheeling Street, Washington, Pa. 15301.
About the Artist
Dylan Collins is Assistant Professor and Sculpture Program Coordinator at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. Collins received his MFA from Kent State University, Kent, OH and both his MA and BA from Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL.
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit washjeff.dev, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.
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