My abstract watercolor paintings are concerned with space, movement across ground, and with the ground itself. Often the natural world is a departure point, such as light slanting through a window, or the street at sunset, but my abstract work has not focused on representation. Rather, I’ve tried to develop a lexicon, a vocabulary of tones, shapes and marks, all used to convey movement and mood.
This work relies on careful placement, the nature of the mark, and attention to edge. The ground is often white, creating a vast sea of space where color, mass and line can reflect one another. A blank page might suggest tranquil waters, the mind in meditation, or the quiet of held breath.. Breath leads to heart beats, which lead to unexpected rhythms and to poems. Poems always circle below the surface of my paintings, vying for attention.
After years of painting abstract watercolors primarily, I found myself embarked on a new project this year-- portrait painting. Perhaps it was due to my turning 60, the birth of our first grandchild, or the marriage of our daughter to her beloved. I felt compelled to make paintings of family and friends, those whom I connect with in work, adventure, memory, challenge and love. I began with women in my life, planning to turn to the males next. No doubt, though, my initial focus had much to do with my own identity, projections and sense of time passing.
The medium of watercolor affords immediacy, quickness, and an ever-present light that emanates from the paper. Darks and lights are key in figurative work, just as in abstraction. White space continues to be intriguing, similar to how line breaks function in a poem. Indeed, I often write poems inspired by these paintings.
Alice Neel, a master of psychological portraits, claimed to be a, “collector of souls,” like Checkov. It is a challenge to paint someone’s portrait, to depict the play of the emotions across a face or the gestures of a body. But it is a privilege to sit quietly with someone for a long time and attempt to capture their likeness.
Cathleen Cohen was the 2019 Poet Laureate of Montgomery County, PA. She created the We the Poets program for children from diverse cultural and faith communities (www.theartwell.org) and has taught students and educators in the USA and Israel. She teaches poetry and painting to adults through local venues, including Ritualwell Reconstructing Judaism, Or Zarua, and Kol Tzedek. Her poems appear in literary journals and four collections: Camera Obscura (2017, Moonstone Press), Etching the Ghost (2021, Atmosphere Press) and Sparks and Disperses (2021, Cornerstone Press) and Murmurations (2024, Moonstone Press). Two of her poems were nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her artwork is available through Cerulean Arts Gallery.
1997
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Certificate
1981
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Ph.D., Learning Disabilities
1976
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY
MA, Learning Disabilites
1975
The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
BA
1997
Cutt/Samak Prize Special Notice, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Deena Gu Award, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Estelle Barenbaum Rubens Painting Prize, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Susan Carlen Brown Special Notice, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
1996
First Prize, Kaiserman JCC Painting Competition, Wynnewood, PA
Children’s Village, New York, NY
Founder, We the Poets
2001 - present
Education Director, ArtWell
November 24, 2024
Artist Talk with Cathleen Cohen at Cerulean Arts Gallery & Studio
Oct 12, 2020
Artists in the Time of Pandemic, Cathleen Cohen
Jun 25, 2019
"One Minute Crit" of Cathleen Cohen's artwork at Cerulean Arts
2018
Cerulean Arts Collective Members' Exhibitions, Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2014
Anne Elliott / Cathy Cohen / Tilda Mann, Soho20 Chelsea Gallery, New York, NY
2012
Savoir Fare, New Hope Arts, New Hope, NJ
The Philadelphia Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
2010
Lankenau Hospital Exhibit: Am I My Brother’s Keeper?, Annenberg Center, Philadelphia, PA
2009
Poetry and Art Exhibition, Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, PA
2008
Realism in Paintings and Sculptures, Sherry French Gallery, New York, NY
2005
Morpeth Gallery, Hopewell, NJ
2004 - 2012
Riverbank Arts, Stockton, NJ
2004 - 2005
Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2010 - present
Soho20 Chelsea Gallery, New York, NY
