Paul Lamar Collins (born December 11, 1936) is an American realist painter. Collins is known for his skillful use of textures, light, and attention to detail. Heritage African/American Indian/European Childhood/early career The art of Paul Collins grew out of his study, long experimentation, and determination. He was born in Muskegon, Michigan and moved to Grand Rapids at a very young age. Paul went to school in Ada and Grand Rapids Michigan. He was discouraged from taking art seriously because of its seemingly "impractical" potential as a future career. Collins spent his youth growing up in a predominantly black neighborhood. He found encouragement and influence from Randy Brown, a highly educated artist and poet who came from the south, persuaded him to pursue a career in art. Brown's studio was near Collins’ home, and while Paul was still in school he often visited it. About this time he first tried painting in oils, a medium he now prefers most. His interest in the oil medium led him to absorb all he could read about the techniques and chemistry of paints. He tried watercolors and tempera and even experimented briefly with acrylics. Oil and pencil, however, remain the foundation of his technique. After Collins graduated from high school, he and Brown started a business called Ran-Col. Their general design studio gave Collins an opportunity to develop his talent for design, layout and lettering. Large scale super-graphics were a specialty of the studio. This allowed Paul to keep his technical skills sharp. It was around this same time that Collins began to sell his paintings at art fairs. He was always disturbed by the stereotypical way blacks were usually portrayed with oversized lips and eyes popping out that he chose to paint large pieces depicting black faces. He soon launched a two-year sojourn to West Africa to paint a cultural series depicting a part of his ancestry. Career 1960s and 1970s In 1969 Paul traveled to West Africa with his eldest son Michael, where Paul studied and portrayed the Senegalese and Gambian people in their native environment. The resulting series entitled, "Black Portrait of an African Journey" was exhibited throughout Africa, Europe and the United States. The series was well received by critics. As the Detroit Free Press noted, "The immediate result of the African trip was the establishment of Collins’ name as a potent new view visual commentator on the human condition."