Rosemary Cotnoir

I can’t remember a time that I didn’t want to be an artist. When I was young my mother would give us magazines (along with paste we made from flour and water) and tell us to go make something…to the present where I’m lucky enough to work in a light filled studio. It’s been a long time getting here.

I am a painter working in oil and acrylic paint. My subject matter varies but mainly has an organic theme. I go back and forth between impressionism and abstraction and sometimes I incorporate the two. I like patterns. I am a fan of Gustav Klimt’s work so I do incorporate patterns into my paintings. I have an affinity for trees but mostly trees without leaves. I love the sculptural shape of trunks and branches.

I was educated as an interior designer. I studied stone carving with Darrell Petit for 8 years at the Guilford Art Center.

This quote from Helen Frankenthaler would sum up my work nicely: “I’d rather risk an ugly surprise than rely on things I know I can do”.

Gallery One Featured Artist Interview with Rosemary Cotnoir

G1: How does spending time in nature influence your work?

Rosemary: Nature has a great influence in my work. I look for the abstraction in lines of growth in trees and leaves. Fractals, line patterns, meanderings, foam, and waves are all repeated patterns in nature that appear in my work.

G1: What role does experimenting with patterns play in your art making?

Rosemary: I was exposed to patterns in my work as an interior designer. Then it all came together after seeing Klimt’s “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer” at the Neue Galerie. It was a turning point for me and now that is all I want to do is make paintings with patterns.

G1: Can you talk about using layers of color in creating your compositions?

Rosemary: I work in layers. I segue from easel to working on a flat surface. I dilute acrylic paint in small squeeze bottles and squirt it all over the canvas surface letting colors blend into each other. After drying, I study it to pick out certain areas and I usually get the direction of what I want to say. I work intuitively and just let everything come together to impact movement and detail.

G1: How has your art evolved over time?

Rosemary: Early on, I started with sketching scenes in nature and interpreting it on canvas, mostly in oils, and in the impressionist style. It is not in my nature to keep doing the same thing all the time, so I began experimenting with abstraction. Now I would say I mix abstraction with patterns.