Colin Baxter is an artist from Oxford, England.
Biography[]
Colin is a genius and graduated from Oxford University in May 2001 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
The Phantom of Venice (video game)[]
Nancy meets Colin in 2008 when he is restoring mosaics for Margherita Faubourg. He has a passion for his work that can be more accurately described as an obsession, and eagerly shows both Nancy and Helena Berg his seemingly-endless tesserae slideshow, becoming very upset when they finally refuse to see any more.
Helena has written about him in her journal: "British art restorer. All work, no play. Conceited, rearely talks (hiding something?). Argues frequently with Margherita, about what, don't know. Three words best describe -- 1) boring, 2) boring, and 3) boring."
Colin develops a crush on Nancy, becoming very happy when she informs him that the box of chocolates sent to the Ca' were not for her. He even allows her to use his microscope because he trusts her, even though it violates his "strict policy" that no one but him can touch it. When Nancy wears a blonde wig to impersonate Samantha Quick, Colin tells her that there is nothing at all wrong with her real hair. Nancy is able to plant a bug on him by giving him a special tessera tile, which he treasures because it is from her.
Nancy eventually finds a basket of sausages with a note addressed to her saying they are a gift from Colin who found them in a shop in Gindecca. Unfortunately the sausages turn out to be rotten and make Nancy so ill with food poisoning she passes out. When Nancy confronts him later, Colin claims he didn't leave her the sausages. However, later Nancy finds a handwriting sample of his that matches the note.
Eventually, Nancy finds out from a paper in a dumpster that Colin's real name is Justin Beaumont. In October 2004, Justin was painting a fresco at the home of Jonas Lundquist and stole a Renoir painting. He served a year in prison as a result and had to move to Venice to continue his career in April 2006, even though he doesn't speak Italian. This tainted history allows Margherita to pay him very little since he has trouble finding work. Justin insists that he only took the painting because its owner didn't truly appreciate it.
Towards the end of the game, Justin has to leave abruptly. Margherita explains that she found out that even though she ordered him to use only the cheapest materials to save money, Justin was still using the best he could find, and she fired him.
Justin's use of an alias, his sudden departure and his tendency to play cards with shady people such as Pietro Mazzola of Leo Machiano's crime ring and Nico Petit of the Il Dottore ring Nancy is investigating may indicate that there is more to him than meets the eye. He may even be involved with the mysterious Samantha Quick somehow.
At the very end of the game, Nancy reports that Colin had called her, asking if she got her locket back. When she told him she was wearing it, there was a long silence and then he hung up. He can be seen looking very sadly at the floor in his hotel room. Also in the room hidden in the corner is the shadow of a woman, possibly Samantha Quick.
Quotes[]
- "Have you ever seen such a radiant shade of orange?"
- “I thought I had at long last found someone with my akin to beauty, to art, but - you apparently are like everyone else! Only interested in what something is worth rather than what it offers the soul.”
- "How could you break it, Nancy? Something so vital to my work, so critical--how could you be so careless?!"
- "I adore this shade of crimson"
- "I thought I had a long last found a kindred spirit. Someone who shared my passion for beauty, for art…"
- "Now that’s what I call indigo"