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Karen L. Cohen
Artwork was always encouraged in my family with outside classes and home projects with my mother and sister. We worked in a variety of media from painting to tile work. However, my love for fine metal and enamels started as a teen at summer camp where we had a silver jewelry activity that I pursued each summer.
Being the practical person that I am, at Ohio State University I got a degree in Education and taught high school math for three years before getting my Masters in Computer Science. I then worked as a computer scientist in development at AT&T Bell Laboratories (now Lucent Technologies), where I was awarded a patent, was published in international journals, gave a talk at an international conference and was promoted to supervisor of a development group. Subsequently, I left the Labs to run my own computer consulting company with my husband, also a computer type. During all this time, though, I never gave up my artwork and took classes in metal work and enameling at the School of Visual Arts in NYC, Peters Valley in Layton, NJ, and in private classes.
I work primarily in cloisonné enameling, using leaded enamels, on fine metals for their luminosity, the depth and variety of color, and because of a love of the process. As a computer programmer, I turned comple processing into elegant software. With enamel, I embrace a similar process, as thousands of irregular grains create an object of beauty and depth, one that needs light to bring it to life. I frequently contrast transparent and opaque enamels, and add even more dimension by layering transparents over opaque or opalescent enamels while shading those transparents to create color variations.
My attention to detail and to aesthetic means that in all my jewelry, boxes, wall pieces, and sculptures (some with wearable parts), I strive to ensure that every curve is beautiful - one that is mathematically correct as from a French Curve. The work should be able to be appreciated for the entirety of its emotional quality and for each individual line. Between the lines, the grains, and the layers, I hope to create a constantly shifting resonance with my audience, a resonance they call beauty and feel as joy.
Note: I also develop websites and have some info that I feel is important to incorporate into your site. Check out my ideas and take what you think is good.
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Current Shows, Expos, Galleries:
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Helio Garden Gallery in Key West, Florida |
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Bonita Bead in Bonita Springs, FLorida |
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Associations:
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The Enamelist Society (I'm the webmaster, too). Here some of my thoughts on how to code your website's home page. |
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Enamel Guild / North East |
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Life Member, Peters Valley Craft Education Center |
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Pike County Arts & Crafts, Inc |
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| Workshops I Teach:
Check out some of my students' pieces
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I teach in my home studio - $20 per hour with a minimum of 3 hours at a time. Up to 3 students per class. |
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The Baum School of Art, Allentown, PA.
check out their schedule |
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The Newark Museum
Newark, NJ
none currently scheduled |
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Beads and Crystals of NE PA
Scranton, PA
none currently scheduled |
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Med-O-Lark Camp, Washington, ME. During the summer. I run the enameling, beading and metals studios. |
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Bonita Bead, Bonita, FL
I teach in the winter. Check out their schedule |
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Florida Society of Goldsmiths, Cape Coral, FL
none currently scheduled |
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Peters Valley in Layton, NJ
Sept 12-13, 2009 - Enameling Fundamentals |
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Education:
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Fredricka Kulicke School of Jewelry Arts, Augusta, NJ |
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Peters Valley Craft Education Center, Layton, NJ |
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Various classes at conferences |
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Private classes with Lori Hollander |
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The School of Visual Arts, NYC, NY |
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M.S. -- Computer Science -- 1974, Ohio State University |
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B.S.Ed. -- Mathematics -- 1970, Ohio State University |
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Publications:
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The Art & Craft of Making Jewelry by Joanna Gollberg. Lark Books Publisher, Spring 2006, pg 147 |
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Contemporary Enameling - Art & Techniques by Lilyan Bachrach, Schiffer Publishing, 2005; page 138 |
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"Introduction to Enamel, pg 4, Studio PMC newsletter, Winter 2003 |
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"Diane Almeyda 2-D Plique à jour Workshop", article published in Glass On Metal magazine, Dec 2003. Co-authored with Ora Kuller |
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"A Camping We Will Go", article published in The Enamelist Society newsletter, vol 1 , No. 4, Winter 2003 |
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The Art of Fine Enameling book published by Sterling/Chapelle, 2002; re-printed in softcover in 2004 |
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"Two Clays Are Better Than One", article published in Studio PMC newsletter, Summer 2000, Vol 3, No. 2 pages 6-7 |
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