Artist Statement
My interest in collage began in the late 1990s and continues to this day. I
have only begun to fathom what's possible with this art form. When I moved
from northern California where I was painting plein-air landscapes, to Cape Cod
in 2003, collage techniques became a way to develop a more abstract approach
o painting - evolving into a practice in itself. Inspirations include 20th century
modernism, Amish quilts, jazz, American Chinatowns, working harbors, especially
New Bedford harbor, sojourns in Yucatan, 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.
Her immersion in Chicago's vibrant music scene (and later in the SF Bay Area), led to writing about jazz and contemporary
music from 1978 through the late 1990s as a correspondent for Coda Magazine and freelancer for several publications such
such as Downbeat and Cadence. She also co-authored Unfinished Dream: The Musical World of Red Callender,
Quartet Books, London, 1985. In New York City (1986-1991) she wrote for the Brooklyn Phoenix, The Villager and reviewed
concerts for the New York State Council on the Arts Music Program. From the late 1990s until moving to Cape Cod in 2003,
Cohen worked as 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.) Recent studies on Cape Cod include
workshops with Ed Chesnovich, Laura Shabbot and Jane Lincoln.
Cohen's paintings and collage have hung in juried and member shows at art centers and libraries throughout Cape Cod,
at the Cape Cod Museum of Art and 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;
2021 Regional Winner/2023 Honorable Mention in the Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry Contest judged by Marge Piercy;
and 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