Born in 1956, John Coll has always been amazed by the natural world and intrigued by its structures, textures and relationships, so it seemed natural to study Zoology at NUI Galway, which led to a BSc Hons in Marine Biology. In tandem with this study and as a way of trying to understand the natural world, John drew and sculpted from a young age. So after some years working on a fish farm, at the ripe old age of 27, Coll made the decision to try his hand at sculpture as a profession and 33 years later he is still at it. Since then he has become one of Irelands leading figurative sculptors receiving many commissions including a monument to Patrick Kavanagh, Brendan Behan, Countess Markievicz amongst others. The maritime worlds influence seeps into many of his works and at present he is exploring the materials with which we interact with the marine environment.