Julie Cohn

Bio
Julie Cohn is a nationally known artist who supports sustainability of self and the world through creativity. Continually pushing beyond conventional methods of watercolor, Julie elevates this medium to the national stage through exhibiting her own paintings and inspiring students as a teacher at the college level. Her many museum and gallery exhibits led her to founding Sustaining Arts (https://www.sustainingarts.com) an in-person and online gallery. With a commitment to making the world a better place, Julie donates 30% of all gallery sales to Habitat for Humanity.

Artist Statement
" I love the way watercolor moves. For me, painting is about the conversation I have with this dancing medium. My desire is to respect the properties of watercolor - to guide it gently, let it do what it wants to do, and respond again. This conversation can last a few minutes or for hours at a time. I delve into a trance-like state, stopping only when the passage feels complete. Depending on the size and kind of painting, I usually paint from one to four passages.

The direction of my art is more toward abstraction these days, and elements of representation still move in and out of my paintings. I start each painting with a strong feeling toward a color and thick or thin applications of paint. As a painting evolves I use tools in addition to brushes, such as scrapers, to develop atmosphere out of which emerges an abstracted aspect of the natural world - plants, mountains, minerals, animals, or anything that presents itself. I enjoy the excitement of adding to and watching the forms develop. As I pursue this inner world of imagination and abstraction, I also keep in mind my classical training as a representational painter. Some of my art blends representation and abstraction as my memory of imagery and practice of observation continue to propel me."
- Julie Cohn