Part of Cowell’s Beach has been named Collins Cove in memory of Jay Collins. He died of a heart attack at the age of 38. He was working with others on the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum at the time of his death in 1986. Jay loved raising his family in Santa Cruz and was very involved in the Santa Cruz surfing community. Some of his work was displayed at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and includes a piece that was entered in the California State Fair, which is still on display in the Santa Cruz County Building. He was also commissioned to do artwork for the anniversaries of the boardwalk and the merry-go-round in Santa Cruz. Several works were commissioned by the cities of Santa Cruz and Capitola for events such as the Wharf to Wharf, and Capitola Art and Wine as well as Begonia Festivals. He eventually opened his own business operating from his home doing both picture framing and commissioned poster art work. Jay had a variety of art shows throughout his career displaying acrylic paintings, color pencil drawings, and eventually silk screen print posters. He became so prolific at picture framing that he won international competitions for his work. He worked part time at Palace Stationary, where he learned the art of picture framing. Beginning at around the age of 11 and continuing on after his graduation from George Washington High School, Jay worked various jobs in San Francisco before moving to Santa Cruz and attending Cabrillo College to study art. He also made his own skateboards and was skateboarding constantly. As a young teenager, he started body surfing at China Beach and soon went to board surfing at Kelly’s Cove, part of Ocean Beach in San Francisco. The family returned to California when he was 3. Jay Graffin Collins was born in Vancouver BC, on December 25, 1947, where his family lived at the time. He was commissioned to do several pieces that are recognizable as symbols of Santa Cruz, such as the logo for the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum and the logo for the Santa Cruz Longboard Union. This set him apart as one of the most talented graphic artists in the community. When this is taken into consideration, one can appreciate the skill and precision required to complete these masterpieces. All the images were created by hand, many as lithographs or silkscreens, before computers were utilized for such tasks. The work of Jay Collins is some of the most iconic art of Santa Cruz and California of its time.
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