08/07/2026
When I Look at the World | Ashley Collins
84” x 96” Oil and acrylic on aged paper, historic pages, found objects, hand fired polyaspartic finish.
This painting began as a conversation…
We know that we have Angels that appear in our lives at key moments. They come in many forms: a stranger at the airport who says something that alters our worldview, a kind act that is unexpected when we need it most, the helping hand we did not anticipate. A four legged soul that gets us past the hardships of life….
These are our guardian Angels. They come from a realm we cannot fully comprehend, but we know in our hearts is Real.
But what do these Angels get out of this deal?
Therein is the start of the conversation, and the beginning of this monumental painting.
For Collins, the answers are many, and as diverse as the collage of layer upon layer that are embedded in the heart of this canvas.
Perhaps these Angels need us, just as much as we need them. Just as they are in a sphere that we cannot fully comprehend, we are in a tangible sphere that they left long ago. Could it be that by changing our lives, it allows them to feel something that they could not otherwise feel. An emotion that is limited to the tangible form. Perhaps as they are teaching us, we are teaching them.
If this is the case, then the relationship between us and our guardian Angels becomes even more beautiful, for it is a circle of giving. Each giving the other something to make them more complete, more joyous, more content.
Through out this work, this duality is found… from the two very differently expressed horse images, one more literal, one far more abstract and ethereal, to the young girl and her angel counterpart. From the red ribbon of paint that ties them together back and forth, to the words “When I look at the World.”
When we look at the World, it is different for each of us, and the ability to see another’s view is what makes love possible. It is what makes dreams possible. It is what brings out the best in every life we touch.
