Journeymen from the Fulton Fish Market push hand trucks loaded with seafood up and down South Street. Their destinations are buyers' trucks parked in loading zones at the edges of the market.

It is the custom at Fulton Fish Market to remove the center bones, the rack, all at once when cutting tuna. The result is four long loins of dark red meat. This cutter has already removed the top two sections.

I always stop to watch a tuna cutter perform this dramatic step in carving up a big fish. I want to convey the man's intense concentration. – N.R.

Heaving Swordfish
$1,800 – charcoal – 22" x 30"  unframed

It is not unusual to see really large swordfish at Fulton Fish Market. These fish arrive gutted, with head and tail removed, and packed in ice.

Charcoal is such a flexible medium. I can get a range of middle tones, deep darks in an even texture, and still describe a line on top of it all. – N.R.

Delivering His Fish
$800 – charcoal – 11" x 15"  unframed

The single figure on the left looks toward the two on the right, whose bulky forms nearly exit the composition, save for the lone figure's gaze. – N.R.

A Box of Fish
$1,200 – charcoal – 24" x 18"  unframed

This is done in a tighter style than most of my charcoals. I got quite carried away by the fine detail of these fish. They were so fresh and beautiful; I could not resist rendering them in this manner. – N.R.