Works By Reuben Colley

Still, this faith in Colley’s obvious talents paid off, as not only did he get an A* grade in GCSE and A- Level, but walked off with a 100% mark for his (clearly very creative) troubles in the former qualification. Having said that Colley failed to make any grade with his two remaining A-Level subjects on account of dedicating so much of his time to his beloved art it would appear.

On departing secondary education, Colley secured a place on the art and Design course at Birmingham’s Bournville Art College, where in 1995 he bagged a B/TEC National Diploma on completion of the course, before following this up with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art (specialising in Painting) as awarded by the University of Wolverhampton. It was within this environment that Colley first conditioned himself to attendance at a studio every day to paint, and so embracing the life of an artist. After successfully graduating, Colley masterminded a number of small, taster shows in bars and clubs in key districts of both Birmingham and Manchester.

Despite witnessing the purchase of his entire back catalogue of compositions originated thus far at these impromptu, almost ‘pop-up’ showcasings, Colley still required a regular income to essentially support him as he attempted to make progress as a professional contemporary landscape artist. It was at this juncture that Colley divided to conquer as such, gaining employment as a Framer with Birmingham’s The Halcyon Gallery, situated in their warehouse.

Unfortunately the new day job took more demands on Colley’s time than he had envisaged from the outset, so his own personal art played second fiddle for a while. That said, on acknowledging and running the rule over the sheer volume and eclectic genres of paintings which passed through his hands now, in the guise of a framer, his creative juices began to flow once more, and the urge proved to great to ignore. Encompassing broader subjects than he had at any time previously, Colley threw himself into his art with renewed vim and vigour and naturally took full advantage of the situation he found himself in when the time came to up his game.


Accidentally on purpose leaving a few of his compositions around the gallery workshop, one of Colley’s unwitting colleagues duly obliged and showed them to a certain Glyn Washington. 50% of the UK’s leading fine art publishers, Washington Green, who on seeing Colley’s work arranged a hastily convened meeting. Spurred on by Washington’s initial feedback and plans for his (collaborative) future with the publishers, Colley found himself with a new lease of creative life and inspired confidence, and as a result threw himself back into his art.

In the intervening couple of years since first been taken under Washington Green’s wing, Colley has succeeded in making quite the name for himself as a practicing artist, and forging a subsequent reputation for the procurement of some mightily impressive pieces. All of which has ensured that his art direction has developed and evolved to a higher plain as part and parcel of his artistic coming of age. Speaking on the matter of his typical compositional pieces, Colley offers us this insight into a painter’s psyche; “I don’t paint a particular subject, I try to depict an atmosphere which can be anything from relaxation, solitude, comfort or something that makes me feel at ease when I look at it”.

Putting Colley’s creative influences under the spotlight and we soon discover that it’s all about the visual element and physical attributes; colour, light, distance or a specifically altered image or contrast often inspires Colley. What’s more he feels this aspect needs to be captured in real time rather than previously experienced, and therefore opts for the manifestation of the still picture as opposed to the reliance on a photograph. Having being first introduced to oils back at school, Colley has rarely digressed from this medium since, and routinely champions its illustrative causes. Describing himself as something of an energetic painter, Colley commits his brushwork to the canvas with a spontaneous rapidity and courtesy of large brushes so as to instil a base on which to construct. Which, he concurs is why he loves oils, which as a material he finds to be flexible and freely manipulative.

Colley has been recognised for his work in various quarters already, with Selfridges department stores approaching him with an invite to complete a commissioned painting of their iconic outlet in Birmingham, to commemorate 8th anniversary of its presence in England’s second city, whilst he also made an appearance on TV – or rather one of his paintings did – in an episode of the popular BBC series, ‘Hustle’ in 2012.