Originally from East London, Colin Merrin lives and works in Portsmouth. His paintings explore materials and processes that work between representation and abstraction in order to express a deeper sense of place. He does, however, strongly believe the artist's role is not to dictate, but to act as a catalyst, prompting ambiguity and variety in the interpretation of meaning. Colin studied at Maidstone College of Art, Kingston Polytechnic and the University of London, Institute of Education.