Courtney Cotton (b.1968) is a professional artist, currently living and working in Denver, Colorado. She studied art at the University of South Carolina, Rhode Island School of Design, and Queens College. An artist who is unafraid to express herself by giving visual expression to feeling; which can be seen in many of her paintings and collages. Other inspiration stems from music, mindfulness and objects that give her a visceral reaction. Her work sometimes poses more questions than answers but it offers room for interpretation and new perspectives. It connects to something universal and hence touches a lot of people. She says, "I have more than one visual voice and some find it hard to define or categorize my style." Sometimes her work is thematic, but just as often she has the impulse to create something without representing anything. Some of her favorite pieces just 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 her art Cotton’s artistic path reflects an unflinching willingness to experiment. Her adventurousness is evident in the wide range of works that compromise her oeuvre.

artist statement

Paper Airplanes is a conceptual series using the paper airplane as a metaphor for perspective & perception. The fun childlike quality drew me to the paper airplane as does the aspect of transformation and possibility from sheet of paper to airplane. You can filter any situation through your lens of beliefs. Reality depends on your perceptions and the filter you choose affects the world you see. A positive filter means living a life filled with opportunity, a negative filter means a life of limitations. Both are controlled by you, and lead you to act or not act in a given situation. On the color palette, I would say the dark blue or Payne’s Grey, my current color crush, 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. I also encourage the viewer to attach or unfold their own meaning to the paper plane.

“Fly high - it’s what you were meant to do!” —Courtney