(1967 - Present) Ashley Collins is an icon of American Contemporary painting whose massive, scaled works are found in blue-chip collections and museums worldwide. Although painting professionally since 1988, Collins first came to the attention of blue-chip collectors in the early 2000s for her large contemporary works that integrate portions of figurative horseheads among layers of collage, historical documents, steel, metal and other media. Her supporters include Robert Rauschenberg, who is also a major influence on her work. Collins’ lengthy journey to acclaimed painter, informs each of her deeply-layered pieces. Collins is known, in part, for taking art exhibitions to a new level, such as floating large-scale canvases off of 50-foot cranes and using fire, water and other elements as part of her displays. “I never had a choice, I simply had to paint,” says artist Ashley Collins. “At any given time, I can have hundreds of images in my mind asking to be set free.”*