EL SOLITARIO: Can you give to our readers a short introduction of yourself?
NICHOLAS: My name is Nicholas Coleman, I’m from what used to be the small town of Provo, Utah. Named for the French-Canadian fur trapper Etienne Provost, who wandered into what has become Utah Valley. My father Michael Coleman is an artist as well as myself. I was his little shadow wherever he went. Fishing, hunting, trapping and to a dozen or more of the world’s best art museums.
I love the American West. My father helped me with this love by providing mainly books and experiences watching wildlife on our many adventures out in the bush. This started me with my love of art. I feel compelled to share this love and enthusiasm I have for the American West, that wild spirit still exists in me.
EL SOLITARIO: What is the purpose of your paintings?
NICHOLAS: I feel compelled to be painting this subject of the American West. To be more specific, the spirit I still believe exists if you have eyes and the heart to be looking for it.
EL SOLITARIO: How did you get to know El Solitario? Has it had any influence on your search for freedom?
NICHOLAS: I met the infamous el Solitario I think in 2013 in Portland Oregon at the One Show. They brought with them “The Most Hated Motorcycle in the World”, critics might describe it as a “grocery cart on wheels”. A Prince impersonator was the musical act that night. It was a very brief encounter, that led us a few years later to a collaboration at the Wheels and Waves show in Biarritz, France
EL SOLITARIO: Tell us about that Wheels and Waves and the art pieces you did for El Solitario.
NICHOLAS: Besides some of the motorcycle paintings I was working on, they asked me just to do what I do. I wanted to emphasize and amplify their love and my love of The Lone Wolf. I created a short film and pack of wolves to adorn the walls at the exhibition.
It was amusing to watch people at the show watching the film, then looking at the walls, looking at the film then the wall of wolves. The amusing part was that I was slightly deceptive. What I had shown in my film was not what was hanging on the walls, as any kind of media, it was entertaining but not the truth.
The wolves that hung on the walls were created with more thought. If you are able to see the short film, it too was painstakingly intricately made, I think I ended up painting around 60 wolves in order to make the final one!
EL SOLITARIO: How would you conclude this article?
NICHOLAS: El Solitario, to me is a very straight forward concept. There’s a reason why we wandered into each other’s path. I’m not a social creature. Yes I post on IG, I venture out to shows. Most of all that is an illusion . I hate small talk, I do like real conversations and relationships. As my beard grays while I paint in my studio here by myself. I don’t worry about the party or show I missed. I get my work done. Whether it has a destination or not. I get it done. The universe knows me. El Solitario, knows me
