Jim Kociuba
Quaking Aspen, Acrylic on Canvas
What are your earliest memories of being artistic? In first grade. Our teacher left us with a mimeograph of an indigenous chief with tiny detailed headdress feathers to color in for busy-work as she left the classroom for a while. It was impossible to keep in those tiny lines with the big fat non-roll crayons. I convinced my classmates to turn our papers over and draw on the back of the papers, then the desks, chairs, floors and walls. It was a beautiful installation until our unimpressed teacher returned to the classroom and my cohorts immediately turned me in as the instigator of the project.
When did art become a pursuit? In high school I was lucky enough to have a very loosely structured schedule and it allowed me to spend about half of my school day doing what interested me. This meant lots of time in the art room and darkroom.
Are you self-taught or formally educated in visual art? Formally I studied art at Rhode Island College and Rhode Island School of Design with the focus on art teaching – wanted to make a legal go at it after that first grade art teaching incident.
How did you first become involved with CAA? I visited an exhibit at University Place and started by applying to juried shows in 2014 and joined soon after.
In what other ways are you involved in the local art community? Cambridge and the Boston area has so many opportunities to get your work out there. The Cambridge Arts Council is another great resource. The Art Connection has been a good way to give some of my older pieces a new life.
Maple Breeze, Acrylic on Canvas
What role do you think the artist plays in society? I believe that artist should be the collective conscience. That’s one I struggle a bit with. I am experiencing a lot of concern about the political and social climate today and I wish that my work would address this. But for me, the work that I have tried to do this with – just rings hollow. Maybe art can also provide a respite from the angst as well. That’s where most of my work lands.
What medium do you currently work in and how did you choose this medium? I like paint. I switched from oil to acrylic because my studio here is not ventilated. A Golden workshop offered at CAA helped a lot with that transition, too.
What is your creative process? Where are you finding ideas for your art these days? It varies quite a bit. I work from my photos on my phone, do sketches, play with moving the paint around and sometimes look for something to emerge.
How do you choose your subject matter? Is there a reoccurring theme that carries throughout your work? One theme that is reoccurring is my interest in portraying light that passes through the leaves of trees. There is a single Japanese word that describes this light, the word is Komorebi.
In your opinion, what’s your best/favorite piece you’ve made? Breezy Maple.
What is one of your artistic goals? To make art that move people in some way.
Poplar, Acrylic on Canvas
What’s your favorite place to see art? The Harvard Art Museum is nice place to soak in some amazing art. I’ve been inspired by their Klimt Pear Trees and their Cezanne’s Tree Study.
What living artists are you inspired by? Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, and Jenny Saville.
Do you own any art by other artists? I have some pieces from college classmates and art professors that are very inspiring.
Do you have any shows coming up? I have one upcoming exhibition titled “the Newton Free Library Solo – the Komorebi Series for October 2019”.
See more Jim!
Website: www.jimkociuba.com
Instagram: jimkociuba
Facebook: jimkociubaart