I am a figurative painter, using found paper as my paint… billboard posters, neon price stickers, candy wrapper foils, product packaging, and more… a patina-rich, urban, archaeological tour of trash. The work is a means for me to explore exterior & interior worlds—from power dynamics, to nature, portraiture, self-portraiture and more. The foundation of just about every piece is a strong line drawing and built on top of that is the collage, where draftsmanship and color are a big focus. Once the visuals begin, words follow, usually fleshing out thoughts, sometimes the prose or poetry veering off into its own stand-alone entity.
I strive to let things develop organically, letting outside forces exert their influence. Each aesthetic decision can be a tiny agony, but freely following fate’s lead, while a struggle, can bring liberation, and hopefully beauty & clarity. My hope is to not over simplify nor preach, but to complicate the conversation and inspire debate, where new ideas and ways of thinking are often born.
BIO
Tom Cocotos is a New York City based artist. He has been awarded grants by United States Artist, Creatives Rebuild NY and Oolite Arts, and held art residencies at PANAL 361 Buenos Aires, Tempelhof Kunst Berlin, The Writer’s Foundry Brooklyn, Oolite Arts Miami, PEN American Center Prison Writing Program and Peekaboo Miami. He’s mounted one-person exhibitions at the Englewood Art Center of Ringling College, Piegatto Gallery Guatemala City, Musetta Gallery Buenos Aires and Bredok Berlin. He has been commissioned and is held in the collections of Len and Louise Riggio, Trish and Tom Kennedy, Krzysztof Owerkowics, Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art NYC, Miami Children’s Museum, American Airlines, Citibank, Ford Motor Company, American Airlines, among others. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times and Newsweek. He holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts NY, and a BS in Engineering from Columbia University. His current studio is in The West Chelsea Arts Building on West 26th Street.
