Coleman Art
In the past few years I've been following Nicholas Coleman's work not only because his western paintings but how he transposes that timeless style into his motorcycle paintings. The most iconic motorcycle painting of the Brough on fire at Wheels and Waves was what had me hooked. He also painted a large scale portrait of one of my favorite racers, Shinya Kimura, riding his 1916 Indian and did some watercolors from Bonneville. Although I am a big fan of his Western work, our love and appreciation for speed is where we find more common ground. Well, that's the idea I had before I paid a visit to his and his father's art studios in Provo, Utah.
Last year when I was in Utah for Bonneville, we explored Mt. Timpanogos near Provo and fell in love with the mountain scenery. Right at the base of Mt. Timpanogos is where Nicholas and his father, Michael Coleman, have their art studios. First stop was Nicholas's studio which I've only seen in photos so being in the actual space felt a lot larger in scale. Nicholas and his father are hunters so naturally you would also find a collection of taxidermy and antlers they hunted themselves displayed in their study. To speak to the extent of their collection of Western art, hunting tools, and Indian artifacts we would be talking about multiple rooms from floor to ceiling.
Being professional artists at their caliber requires to be consistently surrounded by inspiration and life experiences. Through hunting they're experiencing their paintings first hand and are able to depict and covey the reality of being in nature. After a tour around Nicholas' studio, we took a quick trip down the street to his parents' house which used to be an old apple orchard. As if I wasn't already blow away by Nicholas' studio, his father's collection extended from the front door, down a few halls, 2 large studies and even into a fishing-themed guest bathroom. There was only so much head turning my neck could handle. Every wall, ceiling and floor was filled with curated works of art.
With a short amount of time to quickly gather in as much I could of Michael's studio, I knew that I was barely scratching the surface. I left feeling like there's a lot more to be astonished and surprised by another time. Glad I was able to make this trip, I can't turn down an opportunity to see an artist in their inspirational space. A big thank you to the Nicholas, Michael and their families for welcoming me into their homes.
＿終わり
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