Colin Merrin

Originally from East London, Colin has lived and worked on the south coast since 2007. He studied at Maidstone College of Art, Kingston Polytechnic and the University of London, Institute of Education. He is an elected member of the Royal Watercolour Society and has exhibited in galleries and museums internationally and throughout the UK. He has work in the Royal collection and the British Museum

‘I work with numerous and varied media to make paintings and drawings, using a stream of consciousness approach that gradually builds and develops over time, rather than through meticulous planning. Although fundamentally figurative in terms of iconography, the work combines representation with  abstraction, often leaning towards absurdity and avoiding cliche. Along with found text I make work that questions the idea of meaning. Meaning is changeable, elusive and rarely if ever, completely fixed. All meaning is invented and open to interpretation. I’m interested in the notion that the painting is an active participant in what Philip Guston described as a ‘trialogue’, where the piece contributes independently to the discussion between the artist and viewer. It reveals something caught up in the subconscious nature of unplanned and intuitive painting that may not be apparent at the time. Each piece subsequently exposes connections and relationships, within the tangle of abstracted and figurative imagery and where social and political comment are also very evident.' 

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