Gina Cochran
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Artist's Statement:
I have always created but it wasn't until I finished my graduate degree in counseling and began working in the field
that I realized the absolute importance of a creative outlet. A few years ago I made the decision to take a break
from the mental health field and since then I have been painting full time. I am self-taught, garnering knowledge
and advice where I can, from seasoned artist friends, book, and the web.
Local color, humor, emotion, and sometimes-even a little sarcasm find their way into my work. I approach each
piece with an idea, but rarely is the finished product anything like what I initially envisioned; it's taken time and
practice to realize the organic nature of each piece and how with very little guidance from me, each piece seems to
actualize in my hands.
Most of my work begins with several layers of acrylic paint and glazes. Often I use torn or textured hand-made
paper or found pieces such as vintage sewing patterns, origami paper and sheet music or printed text of my
design, these may be crumpled for texture or arranged in layers. Glazes are then applied with a brush and wiped
away leaving a build up of transparent color in the trenches created by the paper and paint. In the final layers I
often utilize charcoal, graphite, pastels, or water media. The finished piece is then sealed with wax medium. All of
my work is either framed or on gallery wrapped canvas.
I have always created but it wasn't until I finished my graduate degree in counseling and began working in the field
that I realized the absolute importance of a creative outlet. A few years ago I made the decision to take a break
from the mental health field and since then I have been painting full time. I am self-taught, garnering knowledge
and advice where I can, from seasoned artist friends, book, and the web.
Local color, humor, emotion, and sometimes-even a little sarcasm find their way into my work. I approach each
piece with an idea, but rarely is the finished product anything like what I initially envisioned; it's taken time and
practice to realize the organic nature of each piece and how with very little guidance from me, each piece seems to
actualize in my hands.
Most of my work begins with several layers of acrylic paint and glazes. Often I use torn or textured hand-made
paper or found pieces such as vintage sewing patterns, origami paper and sheet music or printed text of my
design, these may be crumpled for texture or arranged in layers. Glazes are then applied with a brush and wiped
away leaving a build up of transparent color in the trenches created by the paper and paint. In the final layers I
often utilize charcoal, graphite, pastels, or water media. The finished piece is then sealed with wax medium. All of
my work is either framed or on gallery wrapped canvas.