Joe Hargan

descending from the top of the white cliffs, weaving down towards a secluded beach where boats were quietly moored in the shallows. This sense of discovery and intimacy shapes the entire painting. In the foreground rests the boat Pride and Joy, its owner proudly setting off as Hargan arrived. The vessel becomes the emotional centre of the scene—both a literal subject and a symbol of the affection people have for the places and objects that define their lives. Around it, smaller boats sit in the warm, shallow water, while the dramatic cliff rises behind them, crowned with sunlit villas and lush greenery. The Mediterranean light is rendered with broad, expressive brushstrokes, giving the painting a vivid sense of heat, clarity, and tranquillity.

Although widely known for his narrative figurative interiors, Hargan’s coastal works reveal a more personal, experiential side of his practice. These paintings are rooted in real places and real moments—often discovered unexpectedly—capturing the emotional resonance of travel, light, and landscape. Collectors value these pieces for their warmth, immediacy, and the sense of lived experience behind them.