Member of The Portrait Society of America
1104 1/2 Broad Street,
Durham, NC 27705
(919) 451-1122
edie.cohn@gmail.com
www.yourbabyportrait.com

Biography
Edie Cohn has been working as an artist in Durham for over thirty years. She operates her own studio/gallery at 1104 1/2 Broad Street (nestled between Joe Van Gogh Café and Craven Gallery). Ms. Cohn has primarily worked with charcoal rendering realistic, beautiful portraits. Additionally in more recent years, people have become drawn to her acrylic paintings--both the abstracts and the travel paintings of people and landscapes. Originally from New Holstein, a small German community (pop. 2,400) in Wisconsin, artist Edie Cohn has lived in Durham since 1973. She and her husband, Steve, have three grown children and enjoy traveling in this country. Edie has traveled extensively internationally, often with her children--doing community work in Central America.

The Homeless People Project
Edie Cohn started the Homeless People Project in 1991, drawing and interviewing residents of several homeless shelters in Durham. In 2001 she received a major grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council to look for the people she had interviewed and drawn years earlier and see if and how their lives had changed. Some she could not find, some had died, some remained homeless and still others were doing exceptionally well.

 

 

 

 

Charcoal Baby Portraits
In 1988 Ms. Cohn began working as a concessionaire at Durham Regional Hospital drawing intricate charcoal portraits of newborns two days a week for twelve years. “ I would draw as many as 8 babies in a day! I became so adept at drawing them that I could pat a fussy baby with one hand and draw with the other - sort of like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time.” Now she does the portrait work in her studio--drawing some babies from life, but working mostly from photos. Since 1988 she has drawn over 3500 portraits and she continues to get orders locally and nationally. www.yourbabyportrait.com

 

Abstract Paintings
Ms. Cohn began her journey in abstract, acyrlic painting abstracts as a therapeutic, creative exercise, and since expanded into exbiting and selling her abstracts, as well as the acrylic paintings from her travels. She began painting abstracts when she taught painting classes at TROSA. “It was a laid-back class and often I would paint with them; we would sit around a table talking and painting, and somehow on those nights I began to explore a new path that veered away from the realism that I had pursued most of my life as an artist. Painting miniature abstracts became a way for me to relax.” In describing her process, Ms. Cohn, humbly states that her abstract work was not originally intended for public display or commerical appeal. “When I paint, especially with the abstracts, I go to an inner world that is just for me. In some ways it is like I am attending a school that only I know about and it is set up just for me. It is a place where I go to learn first hand what color is about. With a small canvas in front of me my first task is to obliterate the whiteness of the canvas with a rainbow of hues and whenever possible--deliberately using colors that would clash—creating chaos in that tiny space. Then I begin the slow process of bringing order to chaos. Is it possible? Can I do it? I can, but only on a small canvas.”

Through her daughter’s travels to an orphanage in Nicaragua--Edie met Marlon, a remarkable and gifted teenager whom their family eventually adopted. In the 5 1/2 years that he has been with the Cohns, Marlon has flourished having completed a secondary education as well as 2 years of college. Ms. Cohn explains, “When I was adopting my youngest son in 2004, I spent many weeks in Nicaragua, unbelievably stressed out by the whole adoption process. One day I discovered an art supply store in a mall in Managua and decided to buy myself a whole new set of paints, knowing that I already had them at home in the States. I was hoping it would some how help me get through the stress I was feeling. The next morning, back at the orphanage I started painting and I still remember the waves of relief I felt as I immerse myself into the process of painting and working with color. From then on, my tiny abstracts got me through the best and worst of those days. Looking back I think that perhaps my relief came from finding a world where I was in control and was able to create something beautiful out of the turmoil outside and inside of me.”

Currently Exhibiting at Pop’s Restaurant,
605 Main Street, Durham NC
Edie Cohn has recently installed a long-term exhibit at Pop’s in there new location in downtown Durham. Now hanging in Pop’s event room are the charcoal portraits from the Homeless People Project, in the main dining area are her colorful, acrylic travel paintings from China, Peru and Guatemala, and finally in the bar area are Edie’s new ‘farm animals with an attitude’ series.

 

 

 

 

On collaborating with Carpe Diem
Carpe Diem and I have a fundamental similarity that may not easily meet the eye, but we both love humanity and want to do our part to make this world a better place. I believe that the personalized home cleaning service they provide should be seen as a gift of freedom. Everyone deserves, for at least a few hours a week, a chance to do more of the things they really want to do—be it spending quality time with family members, relaxing, being creative, taking an art class or doing volunteer work in the community. All of these things are enriching, but are so hard to do if one is always behind on the home front. Why not give yourself the gift of freedom, at least for a few hours—to do what you really want to do? Plus your whole family will benefit from a clean house and a happy mom.

A Sun Shiny Day

 

Hillsborough, NC
www.dockerydesign.com

Address:
811 Eno Street
Hillsborough, NC 27278

Phone
(919) 381-8108

As a multi-disciplinary design firm, Dockery Design team members have specialties ranging across the gamut of design principles.

Durham, NC
http://www.durhamexchange.org/

In 2007, the founder of Carpe Diem Cleaning, Wendy Clark, went on to start Carpe Diem's sister project, Lewis & Clark Developers. Initially as a quest to create office space for a growing Carpe Diem, the first development project of Lewis & Clark became the John O'Daniel Exchange, located near downtown Durham and providing sustainable, affordable, and plain cool office space for growing small businesses and non-profits.

Chapel Hill, NC
www.vacuumhospital.com

Address:
300 South Elliott Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-5886

Phone
(919) 968-0711

For over 24 years VCH has been the place to visit for floor care needs. It doesn't matter what brand or where you bought it - we can service it.