Nathan Cole

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Nathan Cole is an artist, photographer, and writer working out of Toronto, Canada. A graduate of the Honours BFA program from Western University in London, Ontario in 2003, Nathan is now emerging as a professional artist after rediscovering the scratchboard medium in 2013. He is best known for his intricate and emotional portraits of highly expressive animals on scratchboard. He carefully uses negative space and the starkness of black-and-white to create engaging chiaroscuro compositions, sometimes playful, sometimes profound. The intensity and diversity of the lines created with the quill depict colour, texture, and depth all at once. The painstaking, slow, and unforgiving nature of quill on scratchboard works relates closely to the careful approach that must be taken for conservation efforts with these animals and their habitats. The combination of wildlife and domestic animal portraits is meant to create a commonality between the two, asking whether one has more inherent value than the other.

Nathan attended the Mauser EcoHouse artist residency in Costa Rica after winning the Nanci Christopher photography grant and participated in the Farm Studio residency in Andore, Rajasthan, India. He has exhibited his work at the Super Wonder Gallery, Queen West Art Crawl, and Beaux Arts Brampton, as well as Eduardo Lira Gallery in Miami where he was a semi-finalist for ARTBOX.Projects and The Treasury in Pontiac, Michigan where he won 3rd place in the Handcrafted Category. Nathan’s art work has also been featured in Murze and ArtAscent Magazines.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

Scratchboard, by its very construction and purpose, is a very fragile medium - you create by taking away and any missed stroke could ruin what you have created so far. Humanity and its relation to nature is quite similar. Humans create their society by taking away, cutting down and stripping the resources to create their cities and culture. Their impact on the wildlife and habitats around them is deeply affected by this process, but also in how they build their culture, the stories told and myths created. The perception of particular animals due to their place in history can very well determine their livelihood. Are the animals viewed as a threat to humans, are they treasured for their fur or meat, do they have mythic properties on the black market, or are they perceived as a pest to be rid of? Does your pet have more inherent value than a wild creature? Creating expressive animal portraits with scratchboard creates a tenuous relationship between viewer and creature, where historical and cultural perceptions can deeply affect how they see the animal in front of them. The painstaking and slow process of creating the art is echoed by the careful approach that must be taken for examining some of the myths and perceptions of these animals and how that may affect conservation efforts. In this way I hope that by creating art, I can improve the relationships of humans and the cities they live in to the wildlife surrounding them.

The one most adaptable to change
The one most adaptable to change
$450

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

11.25x9.25"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
American Robin of High Park
American Robin of High Park
$700

Quill and ink on scratchboard (framed).

12.25x9.25"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface. Coloured ink can then be painted onto the white porous layer.

Nathan Cole
Smirking Camel
Smirking Camel
$850

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

15.25x12.25"

Created at the Farm Studio artist residency in Andore, India.

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
Friendly Sloth
Friendly Sloth
$450

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

13.50x13.50"

Created at the Mauser EcoHouse artist residency in Esterillos Este, Costa Rica.

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black surface to reveal the white underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
Horses of the Steppes
Horses of the Steppes
$2,000

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

25x19"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black surface to reveal the white underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
The Tiger Swims at Night
The Tiger Swims at Night
Épuisé

Quill on Scratchboard (framed).

18x24"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black surface to reveal the white underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
Fresh from the hunt
Fresh from the hunt
$700

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

16x13"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
Blue Jay of Catfish Pond
Blue Jay of Catfish Pond
$950

Quill and ink on scratchboard (framed).

12.25x15.25"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface. Coloured ink can then be painted onto the white porous layer.

Nathan Cole
Sparrowhawk of Rajasthan
Sparrowhawk of Rajasthan
$550

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

11.25x11.25"

Created at the Farm Studio artist residency in Andore, India.

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
The Pale Horse
The Pale Horse
$950

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

12x15"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black surface to reveal the white underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
Widowmaker of the Savanna
Widowmaker of the Savanna
$900

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

19.50x16.50"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black surface to reveal the white underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
The Night Guardian
The Night Guardian
$650

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

14.50x12.50"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
Bhuria
Bhuria
$950

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

17.25x13.25"

Created at the Farm Studio artist residency in Andore, India.

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
$850

Quill and ink on scratchboard (framed).

15.25x12.25"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface. Coloured ink can then be painted onto the white porous layer.

Nathan Cole
The Snow Monkeys of Japan
The Snow Monkeys of Japan
$2,200

Quill and sandpaper on scratchboard (framed).

26x20"

A quill on scratchboard portraits of the Macaque monkeys of Japan who warm themselves during the cold winter months in the local hot springs.

Nathan Cole
Creeping Iguana
Creeping Iguana
$1,100

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

17x14"

Created at the Mauser EcoHouse artist residency in Esterillos Este, Costa Rica.

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black surface to reveal the white underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
The Myth Maker
The Myth Maker
$650

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

14.50x12.50"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
White Stork of Andalucia
White Stork of Andalucia
$950

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

12.25x15.25"

Created at the arte ventura art residency in Aracena, Spain.

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black surface to reveal the white underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
The Palm Squirrels of India
The Palm Squirrels of India
$650

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

11.25x11.25"

Created at the Farm Studio artist residency in Andore, India.

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black ink surface to reveal the white ceramic layer underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
Resting Calf
Resting Calf
$650

Quill on scratchboard (framed).

17.50x15.50"

Created at the Mauser EcoHouse artist residency in Esterillos Este, Costa Rica.

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black surface to reveal the white underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole
Dog in Winter
Dog in Winter
$1,800

Quill, sandpaper, pastel on scratchboard (framed).

13x17"

A handmade piece on scratchboard, where a metal quill is used to scrape the black surface to reveal the white underneath. Shape, texture, and colour of the animals are all described by the intensity of the scratch with the quill, what direction, and how much I go over the surface.

Nathan Cole