Michelle Cohen Artist Statement
Born in 1978 and originally from Saskatchewan, Canada, Michelle Cohen has travelled extensively and draws inspiration for her work wherever she goes. Since 2011, she has resided in Glasgow, Scotland and consequently the beautiful landscapes of Scotland have become the focus of her recent work, with an emphasis on the sky, the mountains, trees and water. Her work
aims to demonstrate Scotland’s natural beauty by showcasing the diversity in the country’s landscape; from verdant fields, to sandy beaches, sweeping glens, and rocky mountain passes. Her unique mixed media style involves painting directly onto multiple layers of glass, using traditional up-cycled whisky cask wood to frame the work. She has had a number of solo exhibitions in Scotland including the Glasgow architectural painting exhibition “Up and Down” in 2016, Scottish west coast painting on glass exhibition “I Land” in June 2018, the Isle of Arran Whisky Distillery’s “Views and Booze Cruise” in October 2018, and “Our Coast” Exhibition at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall, February 2020. “Our Coast” was part of Celtic Connections and the Year of Scottish Coast and Waters, in this exhibition she collaborated with traditional Scottish musicians and a Scottish Highland poet. She has been featured in exhibitions all over the world, with events in Melaka, Malaysia; Bali, Indonesia, Tenby, Wales, and in Montreal, Canada. Since moving to Glasgow, Cohen has played an active role in the city’s artistic scene. She directed art and music events in various venues across Glasgow from 2012 to 2014, coordinated the art fusion section of Gibson Street Gala Day between 2013 and 2015, and curated the Marie Curie Art for Care Exhibition from 2014 to 2016, raising almost £100,000 for Marie Curie Hospice Care in Glasgow. During the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Cohen founded Art On Scotland, Glasgow’s outdoor design market in Royal Exchange Square. Through this project, she has collaborated with over 1,500 artists in the space of 7 years, with the market continuing to grow each year. Cohen was shortlisted for the 2017 Forward Ladies National Awards for Women in Business in the Not For Profit/Social Enterprise category. In 2018, she became the Scottish Regional Director for Forward Ladies, a networking group supporting women in business. She mentors young creatives through The Prince’s Trust and is a Young Enterprise Scotland “Local Hero” and mentor. Cohen has given lectures to students at the Glasgow School of Art, and is collaborating with the Creative Entrepreneurs Club to help other creatives develop practical artistic business advice. Plans for Cohen in 2021 are to continue to organise Art On the Exchange markets in RES when the lockdown is lifted and to work on her own creative projects. The big project for 2021 is to paint all of the Scottish Munro’s in miniature. 282 paintings made on tiny layers of glass 5cm x 5cm then framed in up-cycled whisky cask. This is something no-one else has undertaken. You can follow her progress on her social media channels, links below. Social Media:
Instagram
https://www.facebook.com/CohenArtGlasgow/
www.cohen-art.com
