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!

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.

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.

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

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…

Denver artist Courtney Cotton is using her paper airplanes series of conceptual paintings to bring
awareness to mental wellness/fitness. Using the airplane as metaphor for perspective & perception that
evolved as a way for her to heal herself and possibly others whose lives have been touched by suicide.

You 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. Good thing the paper airplane is resilient and I have a lot
a paper in the case of a crash.”

On the color palette; the dark blue or Payne’s Grey, represents a cool and calming color that shows
creativity and intelligence. It is a color that symbolizes loyalty, strength, wisdom and trust. 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 and the balancing act of our thoughts,
feelings and emotions.

Cotton also encourages the viewer to attach their own meaning to the paper plane.

“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

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.

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

A series inspired by this quote:
If you begin to understand what you are without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation. —Jiddu Krishnamurti

The paintings and wood assemblages in this series are conceptual portraits of a human or humanity as a whole, our shifts in consciousness, self-awareness & our oneness.

Windows Paintings

The idea of a window captured my imagination. I like that the window, in metaphor, works two ways.

Not only can others look inside, but windows offer the chance for one to look outside as well.
The ‘window’ metaphor has a long career in the history of art and, in fact, in the evolution of the human perspective in general. It has been associated with the voyeuristic and inquisitive instincts of people.

Above all, though, windows have permitted humans to experience the essence of light, and imply interaction with the unknown and with infinity.

"People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within." Elisabeth Kubler- Ross