Born in the Midwest, Collins learned early on his inspiration came from adventures into nature. A rock climber for over 25 years, he has travelled the world for first ascents (new routes) and considers them an act of creation just as much as paint on canvas.
His actual artwork has been featured in hundreds of publications, starting as staff illustrator at Rock and Ice magazine for over 100 issues, then Alpinist fir over 75 issues, and eventually creating work for the cover of National Geographic. His award-winning adventure travel book and film “DRAWN” has been translated into numerous languages.
His journeys lately have consisted of goodwill expeditions deep into to the Amazon in Brazil, the Annapurnas in Nepal and down the Aichilik River in northern Alaska. He tells his stories with pen and journal that are used for fundraising and awareness campaigns for wildlife, humanitarian and public lands.