Rising Stars: Meet Julie Cohn

Hi Julie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
My story is also my family’s story. Childhood is full of many impressions. The following narratives made a great impression on me. My father, his sister, and his parents escaped Germany during the time of Hitler’s holocaust. Despite the trauma of almost losing his entire family before reuniting and coming on the last ship from Holland to America, my father, Harry Cohn, ultimately fulfilled his dream: having a wonderful family and prospering in America. My mom, Barbara, also had to leave her mom for a while. When she was only 3, her father abandoned both her and her mom, causing my mom to move to foster care. After a few years, she reunited with her mom. As a young woman, she found her love of art. My father’s strengths as a loving father, dedicated business person, survivor of childhood trauma, and my mom’s caring and artistic view of her family and the world, have greatly influenced my career and lifestyle.

I have been an artist since the age of 10 and an entrepreneur since the age of 30. My first business was called Carrousel Caricatures. I drew large heads and small bodies of cartoon figures that showed a likeness of guests attending all kinds of events. This business lasted for five years. My skill and love for watercolor painting blossomed after I dissolved that business, as I had injured my hands playing guitar, and it was easier for me to paint with watercolor than to make cartoons. I have taught watercolor painting and focused on this medium for over 30 years. When COVID-19 started in 2020, like many of us, I had lots of time to think about my life. Considering how much art sustained me during that difficult time of seclusion, I started a new business named Sustaining Arts. Keeping in mind my family‘s history and the challenging course our world is now following regarding climate change, political upheaval and wars between nations, I have found joy, purpose, and stability each day through creativity.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always challenges that strike a new business. My biggest challenge has been the marketing aspect of Sustaining Arts. My marketing skills are much better than they used to be, and I continually need to improve my social media skills and make my websites more user-friendly. Little by little, I’m improving in these areas. Many YouTube videos have been helpful, yet having a coach has made a difference for me. I can’t do it alone.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Sustaining Arts comprises many things, and is primarily an online gallery of four artists, including myself, who engage in and are connected to art as a healing tool. We extend this healing connection to those who appreciate how it makes them feel in their sacred spaces. As the founder of Sustaining Arts, I give 30% of all art sales to Habitat for Humanity, East Bay, and Silicon Valley, Inc.. This nonprofit organization helps people who would not ordinarily have a chance to buy their own homes to own their own. My parents worked hard to give us great comfort in our home as they raised me and my siblings, and I want to give back, sharing some of the gallery profits with others less fortunate than I have been.

My business is unique in quite a few ways. Sustaining Arts is an online gallery that caters to all budgets, keeping the art affordable. Many galleries only offer higher pricing. Our range of prices makes it easy for anyone to enjoy what we offer. We specialize in abstract art. The definition I like to use for abstraction is that something real can be discerned within an abstract artwork. To “abstract” something means to take a part of something real and morph it into a suggestion of that reality. For instance, if you make a painting of an apple, cut it into 5 pieces, and then loosely connect the pieces in a collage that implies “apple,” then you have an abstract painting. Many of the works in the gallery are abstract, while some of the art is non-objective, meaning that it is often geometric and does not refer to anything from reality.

All four of us artists in the gallery are committed to sustaining ourselves and others through art. The stresses in life these days beg for a respite from a chaotic world, and our art is all about healing and finding peace of mind, body, and spirit. Sustaining Arts has a mission beyond making art and selling it. In the About section of the online gallery, I continually add articles and videos about how we can sustain ourselves and our planet through creativity and responsibly using the resources surrounding us. I encourage you or anyone with a similar life’s mission to get in touch to share a story about sustainability on the Sustaining Arts website.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from growing up.
One of my favorite childhood memories was going with my mom to an atelier (art studio) in San Francisco to draw from a live model. I was a young teenager surrounded by adults painting a clothed live model. I felt the serious and devoted quality of everyone around me and took on the quest to do my best. I was in awe of the teacher, Thomas Leighton, a master drawer and pastel artist. Occasionally, I would walk around the room, talk and laugh with everyone. I felt like I was with my peers even though all were much older than I was. On the way home, I always talked passionately about my impression of the experience with my mom. I was truly blessed that she was willing to share this part of her life with me, and the impression she made gave much value to the rest of my life.

Pricing:

• Original Art from $220.00 to $5000.00
• Ready-to-hang Metal Prints from $85.00 to $1900.00
• Small Gicle’e Prints from $40.00 to $70.00
• 12 x 12 High Quality Laser Prints for $35.00

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SustainingArts.com and www.JulieCohnFineArt.com
• Instagram: @sustainingarts
• Facebook: Sustaining Arts
• Linkedin: Julie Cohn (Sustaining Arts)
• Youtube: @juliecohn3942 & @juliecohn1618
• Yelp: Julie Cohn – Sustaining Arts