Fisherman at Marsaxlokk by Nick Coley

Fisherman at Marsaxlokk by Nick Coley
Fisherman at Marsaxlokk by Nick Coley

Every Sunday they land fish from the sea in the sheltered lagoon. Inspired by Nick Coley's travels to Malta, 'Fisherman at Marsaxlokk' depicts a harbour of the small fisherman village of Marsaxlokk, Malta. Alight with fiery reds and orange and diffused by cool blues, Coley has employed colour theory combined with tactile brush strokes, to create a dynamic composition which tells us a captivating story of this fishing village.

Nick Coley's 'Fisherman at Marsaxlokk' takes inspiration from the artist's travels to Malta. A portrayal of a harbour within the small fisherman village of Marsaxlokk, the textures and colours within this composition are comparable to Van Gogh's immersive landscapes. Capturing the harbour at sunrise, Coley has portrayed a lone red figure in a small boat, standing upon calm, cobalt waters. Coley has employed an impressive use of colour theory within this piece, with each colour telling its own part of the story, protruding vividly from the surface. Born in the Midlands but moving to Yorkshire at a young age, Coley's love for drawing began early on. His artistic career began to take shape when he discovered glass as a surface he could paint on and manipulate, using a toolkit of brushes, etching tools, and most controversially, power tools. Coley has developed a signature method of working on one side of glass and Perspex, with the final image presented in reverse on the other side. This combination allows the artist to create dynamic strokes on the surface, which respond and change with the light. “Artists have to take a gamble sometimes… a leap of faith, and they must want to do original work”