My homage to the amazing Don Collins! (Luci Miller)
Our wonderful friend and 46-year calendar artist, Don Collins, left this world on October 5th. He had a goal to live to age 95, and that he did! Don aged well! He drove well into his 94th year (and we are talking drove to California from Arlington, very carefully planned out for half day drives and afternoon stays). In the last five years Don traveled with his girlfriend, Eleanor, to Africa and went on his first safari, flew to Ireland for fun and to celebrate his heritage, and made the aforementioned drive to California for his girlfriend’s grandchild’s wedding. The guy just could not stop! He painted daily up until 2024. 2024 was rough health-wise for Don, but that did not stop him from telling his stories and having incredible quality time with his daughters! And the stories he told! I will not share secrets, those are for his daughters to share!
I was lucky enough to meet his twin daughters this year – Shannon and Amy. Shannon brought Don down from Arlington for Dwayne Kelley’s 91st birthday at The Sign Bar (picture of life-long friends Don and Dwayne, pictured above) and Amy brought me the 2025 calendar cover this last Saturday. Amy is pictured below with her husband Sterling! All of these folks were so close to Don – he was a marvelous and entertaining father, father-in-law and friend!
So you might ask, why is the SEC image included in this little short story? Don created a version of this drawing in the ’70s. In recent years, someone reached out to him for the rights to print this image on shirts (now updated – see right- with the Longhorns) and available through Shop RiffRaff (google RiffRaff Arkansas). For the last few years Don brought me our chosen painting for the calendar cover and would ask me to wait until the following year to pay him because he was “making too much money” from royalties on shirts!! While many of us have loved his Miller Blueprint calendars (for 46 years!), enjoying him as a creative, hilarious, steel-trapped-mind friend was 20 times better! My heart goes out to the void in the lives of Don’s girls. Thank you, Amy, Shannon, Susan and Eleanor for sharing him with others!!
Note: a spring art show in the Dallas area is in the planning. Don left lots of great art behind, and we will share any info we get about the event. Also, while this is the 46th calendar, we are unsure if this will be the last or if we will strive for 50! We will also post his obituary once that is finalized. Oh, if I could just tell you more! I just treasured Don, his friendship and calendar partnership with my dad… Don, you are missed. Loved til the end, young man!
Oh, and the link to order calendars (not yet produced or finalized…) is right here.