Artist Statement
My interest in collage began about 25 years ago. I was painting plein-air landscapes in northern California then. In 2003, whenI moved to Cape Cod to marry the artist and sculptor Skip Treglia, I began using collage techniques to develop a more abstract take on form, color, texture, and composition. Inspirations include 20th century modernism, qui;lts, jazz, American Chinatowns, New Bedford harbor, sojourns in Mexico, and antique obi silk scraps from Kyoto.
About Elaine Cohen
Elaine Cohen, writer and visual artist, grew up in Gloversville, NY, and studied Anthropology at the University of Chicago where she became immersed in Chicago's vibrant music scene. In the late 1970's she began writing about jazz and contemporary music. Her career as a jazz journalist and correspondent in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City extended from 1978 throughout the 1990s. With bassist Red Callender, Cohen co-authored Unfinished Dream: The Musical World of Red Callender, published by Quartet Books of London, 1985.
From the late 1990s until moving to Cape Cod in 2003, Elaine was Development Director of Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, CA where she met and was inspired by artists such as Nathan Olivera and Peter Voulkos. Additional influences include Olaf Palm and plein-air colorist Camille Przewodek. (Cohen wrote the Foreword for Przewodek's recently published Mondays With Camille.) Recently, she's been studying with Ed Chesnovich.
Cohen has exhibited paintings and collage in juried and member shows at art centers and libraries throughout Cape Cod, including the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, where she was awarded a Romanos Rizk Memorial Scholarship. Gallery exhibitions include Salt Meadow Gallery, Color Obsession Gallery, West Barnstable Table; solo collage shows at Gateway Center in Santa Monica, CA and Gallery 63 in New Bedford, MA.
Cohen is also a poet. Recent recognition for her writing includes a residency at Atlantic Center for the Arts; Regional Winner 2021/Honorable Mention 2023 in the Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry Contest judged by Marge Piercy; and a 2022 Editor's Choice and 2023 Honorable Mention in the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards. In 2023 she published her second chapbook of poetry, Midnight Bus to Oaxaca.
Queries regarding paintings/collage and ordering the chapbook Midnight Bus to Oaxaca, contact Elaine by email at lainecohen@yahoo.com