Horse Power

Artist du jour Los Angeles-based Ashley Collins, whose monochromatic oil paintings of equines are the new must-haves in Hollywood. Portrait of the artist Collins, 35, came to L.A. ''without two dimes rubbed together,'' she says, slept on friends' couches, and worked as a waitress to support her painting habit. Five years ago, she got a studio by the beach in Venice, Calif., and her work will be shown in galleries in Miami and New York later this year. Patrons Friends cocreator Marta Kauffman, Robert Redford, Debra Winger, Robert Wagner, and Mad About You cocreator Danny Jacobson are all collectors. The offices of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment and Twentieth Century Fox both showcase Collins' work. And there's a growing waiting list for the canvases, which range from 3' x 4' to 8' x 10' and cost from $10,000 to $35,000. The appeal ''In Hollywood, there's a lot of emphasis on flashiness and instant superstardom,'' says Collins, ''but there's something timeless about these horses.'' Hey, Mister Ed, time for that comeback.