"In poetic fantasy Arcadia is a recurrent symbol of an idyllic pastoral paradise. In these representations there is no hint of the sinister side of Pan, the mischievous god of flocks and stampeding herds that forms the base of the word panic. David Charles Collins borrows from this darker imagining. But in David's work there is no suggestion of sheep, nor the presence of any stalwart shepherds. Instead the lush textures of flesh and food create a honey-trap for the eyes of audiences, tired and gritty with the sparse industrial images so often met. But the succulence of the scene soon gives way to decay, like the decomposition of the remains of an overly large meal left on the table from the night before. A tension is born from a sense of timelessness combined with the imminent effects of time. David wants his viewer to be seduced by the illusion of arcadia that will age and fade like the vitality of the subjects."

(Kate Vickers 2009, writing commissioned by ArtWorld magazine)