The Raw Watercolours of Vermin Graffiti. The Textured Works of Dale Collins.

Some collaborations are planned. This one was posted.

What began as an exchange of handwritten letters between two artists has become one of the most quietly radical art projects in recent memory. Dale Collins sent blank watercolour pads — no brief, no instructions — to Vermin Graffiti, an artist whose life has moved between the streets, the institution, and everything in between. Vermin filled them. Raw, unfiltered, alive.

Those originals made the journey back through the post. Dale then worked with a master Fine Art Printmaker to translate each piece into limited edition prints — honouring the integrity of Vermin's hand, the bleed of the pigment, the weight of what was made inside four walls but dreamed somewhere far outside them.

The results are available exclusively here.

This is not a gallery project. There are no white walls, no opening nights, no curators. Just two artists, a postal address, and the belief that something real can still happen between people who've never been in the same room.

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Practicing under the name Dale VN Marshall 2010-2020

Though Dale Collins' bold, expressive paintings and drawings are primarily abstract, he views them as a form of self-portraiture. Through his art, he channels the story of his past struggles and his ongoing efforts to transform the chaos of his life experiences and memories into something meaningful.

In 1999, Collins was committed to The Cornwall County Asylum, where, by chance, he reconnected with the graffiti artist "Vermin," both battling psychosis at the time. Emerging from this turbulent period, Collins began creating the richly textured mixed-media paintings and drawings that have since earned him recognition. His work, characterized by graffiti-like scribbles, text fragments, lines, and colors, ranges from feverish and gestural to subtle and delicate, mirroring the complexities of life itself.

Now practicing full-time near Drogheda, Co Louth, Ireland, Collins has found inner peace as a professional painter, drawing on his past experiences to create original and compelling artworks. Meanwhile, 'Vermin' continues to grapple with the effects of mental illness, finding a sense of safety in the only life he has known—one of confinement, while Collins remains anchored in conscious thought, translating messages from this shadow into powerful, sometimes heartbreaking, but ultimately hopeful abstracts. These works reflect the artist's journey toward recovery and the conscious awareness we all deserve.

Education BA Hons Coventry University UK | Scolarship CSULB (MFA) Los Angeles 2009-2013

EMAIL : Dalecollinsartist@gmail.com.com

Shows / CV

Selected Art Exhibitions

Bristol, England, Mshed Museum, Group exhibition 'Vanguard' 2021

Edinburgh , Scotland, Scottish Story Telling Centre , ‘I am not a Child’ Solo exhibition,

august 2016 Chelsea ,London, Loughran Gallery, Winter Group Show, December 2015;

San Jose CA, Anno Domini Gallery, Orbital,

October, 2015 Mayfair, London, VB Fine Art, LAPADA Art and Antiques Fair,

September 2015; Kensington, London, VB Fine Art, Art and Antiques London, Art Fair,

June 2015; West Hollywood, Los Angeles, Soze Gallery West Hollywood, Beauty in the Wound, solo exhibition,

August 2014; Coventry, The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Walls with Wounds, Solo Exhibition,

February 2014; Soho, London, Rook and Raven Gallery, Bill Wyman Reworked, Group Exhibition,

March 2013; Soho, London, Rook and Raven Gallery, Coast to Coast, Group Exhibition,

September 2012; Piccadilly, London, The Royal Academy of Arts, UK Group Charity Exhibition benefiting ‘Studio Upstairs’,

July 2012; Downtown, Los Angeles, Soze Gallery Downtown LA, Best Kept Secret, Solo Exhibition,

2012; San Jose CA, Anno Domini Gallery, The California State Institution, Solo Exhibition

2012; San Jose CA, Anno Domini Gallery, Fresh Produce, Group Exhibition

2010; Stokes Croft, Bristol, Art El Gallery, Room 101, Solo Exhibition,

Press/Publications Modern Painters, The Birmingham Post ,Coventry Telegraph ,BBC News, Children of the Can (book) , BBC Radio Warwickshire, The Big Issue, Juxtapoz, Real Homes magazine. Charity work and Donations Cancer Research, Young Sane London, Free Arts NYC, Action Postpartum Psychosis, JRDF Diabetes foundation, Sector 39 Permaculture Wales, Studio Upstairs London/Bristol

WHY COLLECTORS BUY

Authentic History

Created from lived experience, not manufactured mythology.

Museum & International Exhibition Experience

A body of work developed over decades of public exhibitions.

Limited Availability

Original works released directly from the studio.