"Hi, I'm Andre Collins, and my passion is creating art. I love the challenge of seeing a piece come to life from start to finish. It gives me a great deal of encouragement when others enjoy my work. Honestly, to create something and bring it to life, gives me the will to live...  When asked, what mediums do you like to work in? "I tried them all when I was in high school, Oil, watercolor, pastels, etc... But it is just something about creating things out of useless items that intrigues me. The idea of transforming trash into treasures and watching pieces come to life is remarkable."                                                                                                                                                                 

For most of us. Only so much can be done with your hands. We have limits. But in the hands of outsider artist, Andre Collins, prepare to be amazed. Cardboard, plastic bottles, paper towels, newspapers, styrofoam, tape and wood glue. One might find all or some of this in a piece by Collins. Walking into his home was like walking into menagerie of exotic animals. Lions and tigers, and bears and elephants oh my!

It is hard to describe Andre's art. It's a combination of papier-mache, sculpting and painting. It's just cool. "One man's trash is another man's treasure."

Photo and Story by Donnell Collins