Lowell is the birthplace of such luminaries as artist James McNeill Whistler, actress Bette Davis and writer Jack Kerouac. But only Kerouac acknowledged it and made Lowell the focal point of several of his writings, which became the backbone of the Beat Generation.
Whistler is memorialized at Whistler House Museum of Art, which is celebrating Kerouac’s influence on the wider artistic community in its upcoming exhibition, “Kerouac: Beat and Counterculture Portraits,” paintings by Jonathan Collins.
The show will run from Aug. 22 to Oct. 31. and an opening reception will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Parker Gallery.
Born in New Jersey and painting for over 40 years, Collins began his lifelong quest of creating art at the age of 3 when he was handed a pencil and pad. Throughout his childhood, drawing consumed him as he created hundreds of charcoal portraits of 1930’s movie stars. In 1987, Collins began using watercolors, and soon developed his own vision and concepts, studying the techniques of Albrecht Durer, Johannes van Eyck, and other early Flemish and Dutch master painters.
He received a full scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1988 and received the first of two Elizabeth Greenshields grants in 1990 (a private Arts Foundation in Quebec, Canada) and then again in 1992. Collins traveled throughout North America and Europe several times, immersing himself in baroque art and architecture. While on his aesthetic journey, he traveled with only a rucksack and his paintbox.
At age 17 after discovering Jack Kerouac’s book, “On the Road,” which was mentioned in songs by Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, he became fascinated by the Beat Generation. He spent two years on the road in the footsteps of his hero, Kerouac. Criss-crossing the continent from New York to “Beat Central” San Francisco, he included such cities as Paterson, New Jersey, and Kerouac’s birthplace, Lowell.
Through that influence, he completed a body of work highlighting Kerouac, his friends, the writers from the 1940s – 1970s period, and his hometown of Lowell. This culminated and will be presented in “Kerouac: Beat and Counterculture Portraits.” All were spawned directly from the creative movement founded by Lowell’s own native son, Jack Kerouac.
“In his watercolors, Collins looks beyond the image beautifully portrayed on canvas. He unveils the spirit embedded in the human being, showing powerful messages of hope, resilience, and compassion,” said Sara Bogosian, president and executive director of the Whistler House Museum of Art. “I am thrilled to be working with Jonathan, an exceptionally talented and masterful artist.”
In recent years, Collins has displayed paintings in several museums including the Paterson Museum, Morris Museum and the Arnot Art Museum. He also placed as a finalist in the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. His works are also found in the Warner Lambert Collection, in Athens, Greece; Mexico City, Mexico; Toronto, Canada; and San Paolo, Brazil. In addition, he is also represented in the Lebris Collection in Paris, France, and the Porcino Collection in Venice, Italy.
“All Kerouac enthusiasts are welcome to join “in this first ever exhibition of portraits honoring Jack Kerouac and his legacy of free-spirited prose that influenced generations of musicians and cultural icons to come,” said Bogosian.
For more information contact the Whistler House Museum of Art at 978-452-7641 or by email at [email protected].
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