Collections from Courtney Cotton | Artwork Archive

30 in 30 Series

5 Artworks

30 in 30 Series I painted 30 paintings in 30 days for a Podcast challenge I ran across! What a worthy and healing adventure to paint this series. I used music as a theme for this body of work because music is magic. For a more in-depth description of each artwork and the inspiration behind each piece, please visit courtneycotton.com/blog. As an artist you can’t go backwards in creating your artwork, evolution is paramount, however you can embrace your past and make your work more authentic. Please enjoy my musically inspired diverse oeuvre!

Anderson Ranch

18 Artworks

In the summer of 2017 I was honored to attend an advanced painting and dialogue workshop at Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Under the direction of artist and painting chair [ California College of the Arts – San Francisco] Linda Geary and Fulbright Scholar intern Veda Sun myself and 7 other amazing artists spent 12 long days together. The collective energy of our group was evident and breakthroughs as well as friendships were made. “Collection 20” This collection started as a workshop prompt to create twenty works in one studio day -the result is a thirty piece multimedia body of work. At the onset, I was not sure why I selected the palette I did for the series but I would surmise it was to limit color making decision giving me more time to crank out the twenty pieces and to break away from my “typical palette.” I also have had a recent crush on Payne’s Grey so that was my first go to. In retrospect, I believe the meaning of the palette colors dark blue, gold and white represent place of the artist at creation time. I would say the dark blue or Payne’s gray represents darkness or sadness. Gold represents light, both inner light or self and outer light - universal. The white represents peace and being present. All the variations these colors make represent contrast. The body of work encompasses painting, sculpture, drawing, collage and video. Materials are wood, cardboard, tape, canvas, paper, trash, magazines, metal scraps, found objects, paint, glitter, string and sharpie.

Collage

14 Artworks

Color Pop

18 Artworks

Commissions

12 Artworks

Contemporary Paintings

47 Artworks

Contemporary Paintings Whatever the impulse, the result is the fruition of a process, usually grounded in personal discipline that may be spontaneous and rapid or labored and introspective. What transpires ideally captures the inspiration and transforms it into an exuberant explosion or a contemplative and solemn stillness. My work sometimes poses more questions than answers and offers room for interpretation and new perspectives. It connects to something universal and hence touches a lot of people. "I have more than one visual voice and some find it hard to define or categorize my style." Sometimes her work is conceptual, and often I have the impulse to create something without representing anything. Some of my favorite pieces came about from the act of playing with paint and paper, "I consciously react with the medium, the activity of creating is paramount, and therefore the results happen automatically with the unconscious influence of experiences and emotions." As more private collectors and businesses continue to support my art, my artistic path reflects an unflinching willingness to experiment. Adventurousness is evident in the wide range of works that compromise my oeuvre.

Forest Bathing | Shinrin-yoku Series B

9 Artworks

This collection was created for Lesesne Design by artist Courtney Cotton.

Inspired by Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of forest bathing, the work explores presence, stillness, and immersion in the natural world through handmade cotton paper, walnut ink, collected rainwater, and quiet, intuitive gestures.

The collection was originally envisioned as a contemplative nine-piece grid, with each work functioning almost like a breath or pause in conversation with the others.
The first nine-piece collection now resides in Atlanta, Georgia, while this second grouping "Series B" is available through Lesesne Design in Tryon, North Carolina.

Repetition and quiet variation are integral to the series, much like walking slowly through nature and becoming aware of subtle shifts in line, texture, rhythm, and space.

While each work can stand on its own, the paintings are especially compelling in conversation with one another. Curated groupings of three, six, eight, or nine pieces are available, allowing the collection to respond to spaces of different scales while preserving the contemplative nature of the original installation.

Ireland

44 Artworks

One of the lovely things in the Celtic mind is its sense of spontaneity. It’s one of the greatest spiritual gifts. To be spontaneous is to escape the cage of the ego and trust. By trusting that which is beyond the self you transfigure the ego and liberate the soul. From the book Anam Cara A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O’Donohue On one of the last days of a painting workshop I asked a sassy Irish artist by the name of JJ to make a palette [ for the non painters - this means paint color selections] for me, because I generally use the same palettes over and over and am drawn to JJ’s palette. Some time went by after my unplanned palette remark and then later that day “voila” JJ had delivered a palette to me so a challenge was on. Moreover, she squeezed about triple the amount of paint I usually use onto the palette and said “I made the palette so I want you to paint thickly.” This little little challenge was quite freeing. I am happy with the result and also included my reference photos too. The one with the lines is to adhere to the workshop's picture division criteria. I was asked to divide the images I painted into 6 shapes and found that terribly hard so I went for 5 shapes towards the end. Enjoy - and be spontaneous… Copyright © 2023 Courtney Cotton - All Rights Reserved To see more day to day about my art follow me on Instagram @courtneycottonetal

Landrum

1 Artwork

Landscape

6 Artworks

Marfa TX

4 Artworks

These paintings are a visual representation from a road trip I took to the small West Texas town Marfa, in November of 2020. The substrate came from a thrift store in Trinidad, Colorado. Enroute to Marfa we stopped at Drop City, an artist community that Denver’s Clark Richert helped create. Then Southward to Texas we passed so many Fences that sang to me with their repetition and imperfections. Trains were abundant and I enjoy the feeling of moving beside a train that is moving. Upon arrival, we went to see constructed objects by artist Donal Judd, a catalyst for the art scene there. The landscape of tumbleweeds, Cactus, adobe house, repurposed everything, airstream trailer, dirt and rocks became our home for two weeks as we completed our artist residency at Rule Gallery Marfa. Then to close the magical time of gallerista-ing, making art & viewing art, we headed to the Mystery Lights to end the trip. Until we return…

Metaphor

10 Artworks

Miniatures

100 Artworks

Paper Airplanes

49 Artworks

Courtney Cotton is currently using this series as a vehicle to spread awareness about social & emotional learning as well as conscious awareness because good mental health/fitness is imperative to develop coping skills and resilience. She views this series as a vehicle that can help our youth articulate and regulate emotions.

Using the airplane as metaphor for perspective & perception that evolved as a way for her to heal herself and humanity. One can filter any situation through your lens of beliefs. In other words, reality depends on your perceptions and the filter you choose affects the world you see. Choosing a positive filter means living a life filled with opportunity. Choosing a negative filter means a life of limitations. How your perceptions lead you to act or not act in a given situation is something you control. Transformation and possibility are apparent as the paper plane manifested from the folding of a sheet of paper. The airplane is a metaphor for oneself and emotional intelligence, being above a situation, seeing it in a different way or with a new perspective may change your perception. “As I journey or fly through life, I enjoy the ease in which I can change my reactions to responses using my breath and new perspectives. Many times, when I am in flow, life is an easy graceful flight and other times resistance and fear manifest turbulence and delays on my flight through life.

“Fly high - it’s what you were meant to do! “ - Love Courtney Cotton is currently using this series as a vehicle to spread awareness about social & emotional learning as well as conscious awareness because good mental health/fitness is imperative to develop coping skills and resilience. She views this series as a vehicle that can help our youth articulate and regulate emotions.

per•spec•tives

25 Artworks

per•spec•tives features the work of the 2019 Best show artists, Courtney Cotton and Gabrielle Graves. While both artists’ current body of work focuses on the idea of perspectives, each artist approaches it with her own unique emphasis and skillset. Cotton’s conceptual painting is meant to bring awareness to mental wellness and emotional intelligence by using visual metaphors and color to embody concepts such as transformation, and possibility. Graves explores the complex narrative of identity and its intersection with consumption and mental health. Her process employs photography, painting, video, and installation to create intimate experiences revolving around changing landscapes and internal dialogue.

Rhode Island

5 Artworks

shinrin-yoku ~ Forest Bathing

45 Artworks

Forest Bathing | Shinrin-yoku is a proprietary nine-piece collection created for Lesesne Design by artist Courtney Cotto

Inspired by the Japanese practice of forest bathing, the work explores presence, stillness, and immersion in the natural world through handmade cotton paper, walnut ink, collected rainwater, and subtle acrylic gestures.

The original vision for the collection was a contemplative grid installation, allowing the pieces to function almost like breaths or pauses in conversation with one another.

The repetition and quiet variation between the works are an important part of the series — akin to walking slowly through nature and noticing subtle shifts.

Solitude Series

11 Artworks

I try to seek Solitude daily so that I can continue to expand my self-awareness, compassion and forgiveness. The Solitude series was painted in July 2018, on the days preceding my 50th birthday and several days after. I started thinking about the many tasks and errands I do daily and decided I wanted to pare it back for a month, only doing things outside my environment that are absolutely necessary, spending extra time painting, keeping a journal, healing and meditating. A limited color palette reduces the amount of decisions I need to make during a painting. When you become lighter in mind, body and spirit things look different. The emergence of true self lets ego go and expands awareness. Lao Tzu -Tao te Ching

Spiders

3 Artworks

This series developed after an encounter with a spider and my desire to learn more about their symbolism rather than be frightened of them. I learned that the spider represents growth, mystery and power and she is the “Creator of prosperity through life work, Dharma.” “Its greatest gift is weaving the thread of dharma into a vast intricate web that supports the spider (and those around it) both financially and spiritually. It is hard work, but the spider neither tires nor becomes impatient. Its presence reminds us that creativity is everywhere. Be process oriented rather than results-oriented, and soon your “work” becomes like the weaving of a magical, priceless tapestry. Abundance follows.” I love the positive message and how it relates to the creative process. The works I have submitted were further influenced by artist Louise Bourgeois (American, born France. 1911– 2010) who is recognized as one of the best and most influential female artists of modern and contemporary art and her thirty-foot steel and marble spider, Maman (1999). For her the spider’s principal allusion was the archetype of the mom --patient, hardworking and indispensable, just like spiders are to the environment.

The Circle Conversation

14 Artworks