Today we’d like to introduce you to Deron Cohen.
Hi Deron, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My art career has been one of the most challenging and rewarding passions of my life. I pursued art from a very young age, and my intention has never wavered. For over 25 years, I have cultivated and exhibited my own art, inspired people of all ages and abilities to find their creative voice, managed/curated gallery spaces, and designed events that gave people opportunities to make art.
From a very young age, I was motivated to create and share my art. I remember winning second place in an art competition when I was 6 and knowing I had found my passion. I took art courses during the school year and art camps with Joe Nyiri at the San Diego Zoo in the summer. As a teen, my friends commissioned drawings from me, and I made my aspirations clear to my family. Thanks to my supportive parents, I was able to study at UCLA in 1990; I received my BFA in 1994.
At UCLA, my training was more traditional, focused on formulating an idea, making sketches, and then transforming those sketches into paintings on canvas. While I appreciated this classical foundation, my paintings sometimes felt forced. After finishing college, I decided to try a more intuitive approach.
My creative process has evolved significantly since that time. Today, I start by creating an unplanned composition of shapes. Those shapes transform into images, and those images begin to tell a story. I don’t know the complete meaning of an image until I finish painting it. My paintings feel free and alive to me, and their meanings are open to interpretation.
While I appreciate creative freedom, I am always looking for ways to improve. In 1997, a colleague and I co-founded Paint Night Group, a loose “dis-organization” of artists. We started as two individuals committed to weekly art making and have grown into a network of nearly 30 artists with a desire for community, mutual support, and honest critique. Over the years, we have brought collaborative art projects to schools, festivals and gallery events in which hundreds of people have participated.
Through these associations, my own artwork has evolved. I have continued to explore new ways of applying paint and different oil media. I squirt, spray and splatter my canvases. My paintings are eruptions of organic chaos that I wrangle into form and image with my paintbrush. My themes always touch on the human condition and what it means to be alive. Through my own art and teaching others, I have come to understand that making art is a healing act. We can heal ourselves and others through creative self-expression. My most recent artwork touches on themes of nature, inspiration and the healing act of creation.
I teach students of all ages and backgrounds, and attend professional learning workshops to hone and expand my teaching skills. In 2003, I began teaching adults how to express themselves creatively with paint at a small art studio in the North Park Arts District (San Diego). Since then, the demographics of my students have broadened considerably with regard to age and abilities. I work with students as young as pre-K and as old as 100; from the most wealthy neighborhoods to the most impoverished. I work with injured military personnel suffering from mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. I had a quadriplegic student who painted with his mouth until he passed away recently. I work with people on the autism spectrum. I know that making art can’t heal every wound, but I have definitely witnessed healing.
While my shows have been primarily in California, I have also exhibited in Texas, Washington and New York. Through the internet and social media like Facebook and Instagram, I have been able to reach a wider audience. I am still learning how to utilize these tools, and I hope to reach even more people in the future. I see myself as an ambassador for art and artistic expression. My greatest hope is that my work will inspire others to be creative. When people find their creativity, they can heal the world together in some small way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My career path has not be a smooth one. The art business is tough. There are lots of talented artists out there and they are all trying to get attention, just like me. I have been building my following one person at a time, so growth has been slower than I had hoped. I have only recently been able to admit to myself that I don’t know what I’m doing with social media and I need marketing help. This has been one of my biggest obstacles. In the past, since I haven’t known what type of post will get the most interaction, I’ve been paralyzed and not posted anything. After asking for help, I was told to just post something and to do it often. Just that bit of advice changed my habits.
I have a hard time marketing myself. I don’t feel like I should be the one to tell you how great my artwork is. You should discover it for yourself or, better yet, someone else tells you. I think an agent would be helpful, but I don’t know where to find an agent that would be worth the money I don’t really have to pay for his services.
It took me a long time to figure out how to approach people who are looking at my work. I kept scaring them off when I approached like a salesperson. I have since changed my approach, but this is just one of the ways that I am my own obstacle and I just need to get out of my own way.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work consists of two areas: artmaking/selling and art teaching. Artmaking is the thing that I most enjoy. When I am painting, I feel like I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I love to paint and, over the 30 years I’ve been doing it, I’ve been able to achieve a high level of craftsmanship and my work continues to grow and evolve. My oil paintings are strange but beautiful. They are unusual and I know that it takes time to digest them. It might take a few viewings before some people are able to appreciate what they are. What I make is unique, so they may not be as easily understood, but they do set me apart from others.
Teaching others how to make art has been a blessing in many ways. I have been able to make a living thanks to my teaching. I wouldn’t have been able to do it with my art alone. It has also been inspiring to see the way that people are able to heal parts of themselves through making art. I am often told by my students that I am their favorite teacher, so it has been a very validating and rewarding part of what I do.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
San Diego has so many good qualities! I was born and raised here, so I am heavily biased. You can’t beat the weather and the combination of city and nature is well-balanced. I can find tons of culture in the city, or I can take a short car ride and escape to the beach, mountains or desert. The people here are friendly, there are tons of good places to eat and its a beautiful setting.
What more could you ask for?
Well, how about less expensive housing, gas, energy, food and everything else? That would be nice. The homeless issue is worse than I’ve ever seen it here (although, from what I understand, it’s the same in every major city in the U.S.). Selfishly, I wouldn’t mind a little more support for local artists from locals. If I think about the negatives too much, I get depressed, so I try to focus on the positive.
Pricing:
- Private lessons are $80/hr
Contact Info:
- Website: www.deroncohen.com
- Instagram: @deroncohen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeronCohen/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deron-cohen-61744484/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfpYVzHi00Vye1KGVQS3Bkg
