Jeff Cohen

Began his career as a working artist in February 2000. Before that time he only painted sporadically, never seriously attempting to really pursue a career as a fine artist. It's not that he didn't want to paint for a living, He just didn't know how to get started. “When I was a little kid I assumed a career in art involved painting pictures and selling them, but it wasn't long before the term "starving artist" was introduced to me! I studied art in high school and college, learning about techniques, tools and materials, but I still had no Idea how a person turns creativity into a reasonably marketable skill. Then I discovered the world of graphic arts. While I was in my early twenties I worked for several printing companies, learning paste-up and typesetting. I also learned darkroom techniques, and became rather masterful with a stat camera (if you don't know what that is, don't worry. They have pretty much been replaced by computers.) During this time I met my future wife, Leslie. She also had some background in graphic arts, and we decided to start a printing company together. What were we thinking? It was hard, it was smelly, and it was a real challenge for two young people without a lot of experience in the business world. But we learned a tremendous amount, and it led us to the next phase of our lives... The thing I love about art is that is undefinable. Lots of people will try to tell you that "this is real art because...", but I reject that kind of thinking. What is real art? I have no idea! I have studied art history, I have listened to lots of old and new theories, but nothing tells the whole story. But here's the thing: the art itself IS the story! When I look at a painting and say "wow!" it's not because of something I can explain. It has something to do with context; with what the painting reminds me of. It has something to do with novelty; with how the painting shows me something I haven't seen before. But it's more than that. I have have found that when I have tried to explain my best work, it diminishes the effect of the art itself. Art speaks for itself, and if a particular piece speaks to you no one else can tell you it's not art. I like realism, and I like impressionism. I like abstract, primitive, folk art, post modern, renaissance, minimalist, (you get the picture?) I believe that you should buy a painting because you love it, not because it may be worth something someday, or because it was painted by someone who is supposedly "important."

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