Nick Coley

About the artist

Nick Coley wants to show people that making art is not a mysterious process only achieved by a handful of gifted magicians! Like all things worthwhile, it takes hard work and dedication, and demands that the maker is critical as well as remaining open to exploring new ways of representing the reality he sees. Coley began as a farm labourer, but he was always an artist as well. His primary concerns are with the dynamics of nature, elemental forces, movement, and light. The age of technology offers artists a whole new tool box, and yet, he is always drawn back to the physical marks he can make with his hands and with basic tools. He wants to explore the intrinsic beauty of the materials he works with, in the same way a carpenter wants to show the beauty of the grain. He uses photo-copied collages for his glass works, that are flooded with warm light to emulate stained glass. His original engravings are painted as part of the engraving process; they trap light so appear differently throughout the day as the sun changes, and are different again under artificial lights. They change with the seasons as well. It is an alchemy that is still fascinating to behold.

York Minster

York Minster

Glass collage laminated transparency, 72 x 134 x 2 cm, 2018

Yorkshire Wolds View 1

Yorkshire Wolds View 1

Engraved painting on aluminium plate, 100 x 75 x 2 cm, 2018

Hornsea Cliffs

Hornsea Cliffs

Glass collage laminated transparency, 69 x 52 x 3 cm, 2018

Temptation and Prayer (After El Greco)

Temptation and Prayer (After El Greco)

Engraved painting on aluminium plate, 67 x 67 x 2 cm, 2018