Peter Collins was born in Inverness in 1935 and studied art at Edinburgh College of Art from 1952 to 1956 where he was greatly influenced by the work of John Maxwell RSA. He was awarded a Post Diploma Scholarship in 1957 and the Andrew Grant Travelling Scholarship for travel to Italy (1957 – 1958).
Peter first exhibited with the Royal Scottish Academy in 1957 and was elected to the Society of Scottish Artists (SSA) in 1959. Living in Edinburgh from 1960 until 1965, he was a recipient of the RSA Latimer Award during this period.
In 1965, he moved to Dundee to take up a position as Lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art. He remained there in the Fine Art school until his retirement. In 1983 he relocated from Dundee to rural Perthshire.
Peter exhibited widely with a first solo exhibition at the Scottish Gallery in 1968 with further exhibitions Art Across the Tay (Dundee) and Scottish Painting at the Richard Demarco Gallery, Edinburgh, also in that year. In 1969, he was included in the group exhibition Painters and Printers in Dundee at the New Charing Cross Gallery in Glasgow and then the 1970 exhibition Seven Painters in Dundee which was a Scottish Arts Council travelling exhibition. This led to the loose-knit group of painters, which included Dennis Buchan, Iain Fearn, James Howie, Neil Dallas Brown andJames Morrisons, being referred to as the ‘Dundee Seven’. In 1971, he was included in the touring exhibition 12 Scottish Painters which toured across the United States.
Peter was elected as an Associate of the RSA in 1966 and elevated to full Academician status in 1974. During his time as a Member of the Royal Scottish Academy, Peter served on numerous committees including multiple periods of service for Council and the Committee of Arrangements. Peter was also the Librarian for an extended period between 1988 and 2005. He acted as the Auditor between 1987 and 1991. In 2004, Peter took on the role of Deputy President under the Presidency of Ian McKenzie Smith PPRSA.
Peter was a regular exhibitor at the Royal Scottish Academy and his work is held in the RSA Collections as well as Aberdeen Art Gallery; Perth Art Gallery; Glasgow Life Museums; Edinburgh College of Art; Dundee City Council; Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art; and the Edinburgh Education Authority amongst others.