Artist: Jeffrey Cote

Date: 2021

Dimensions: 38"x49"x3"

Medium: Oil on arches oil paper, mounted to cradled panel, maple float frame.

I see structure everywhere, even in what others perceive as chaos. The most elemental beginnings of everything, as well as decay and ruin, fascinate me. Those instances lay bare inner workings and I endeavor to understand them; how they work together, how they compliment, oppose or rely on each other, and what happens if they are broken apart. In my work, regardless of the medium, I find myself asking "what if…?". What if I do this? Though I find it difficult to step away from structure, in every sense, I find freedom and creativity in that chaos.

With no historic art education, I began my professional life as a tax accountant. For the better part of 25 years in the financial industry, structure and numbers guided my life. While that life consumed my creativity and time, it enabled me to explore the collecting and viewing side of art: introductions to artists and collecting their work; spending time in museums and galleries around the world; and, building my knowledge base upon which I draw from today.

Today, I am happily consumed by art, the various expressions through a range of mediums and a true desire to invoke an emotional response from the viewer