Jay featured in his studio. Photo courtesy of The Baltimore Jewish Times, April 9, 2004- Photographer Kirsten Beckerman
Jay Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen records a moment in our life not just as a single occurrence, but as the moments of our journeys through time and space. His vibrant images seem to have a life of their very own…as they leap out of the very fabric of their environments. Touched by color, inspired by the movement of life’s cycles, the artist celebrates the power of motion, spirituality and excellence of performance and landscape. He paints the memory of the performance whether it be on stage or in everyday reality.
He received his B.F.A. from New York University with an Honors in Film. From there he went on to produce the original production of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” on Broadway, and produced and directed experimental and low budget feature films in New York. He was then appointed Director of the Maryland Film Commission by Governor William Donald Schaefer and worked on more than 35 Hollywood productions, including the NBC television series “Homicide.”
Schooled in the art of dance, music, film, theatre, Mr. Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen professional career includes involvemnet in Broadway to Hollywood to Government.
Throughout, Jay’s devotion to painting remained an integral part of his life. His professional artistic career began in 1973 as he began to design sets, lights and large backdrops for the theatre. He officially opened his first studio in New York in 1978. He began with oils. Then moved to acrylics, pastels, charcoal, and ink as he painted landscapes, cityscapes, live performances on paper and canvas incorporating his cut-out technique.
From the very beginning of his artist career, Mr. Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen has maintained a daily ritual of sketching and painting as he tries new techniques and perfects his own visual style. He creates dozens of studies on-site, and using these images as a foundation, he prepares several variations the exact size of the final painting. He then cuts the images into pieces. From there he reassembles the many fragments of pigment, layer upon layer. As he creates this layering, he manipulates the placement until he has developed a sense of energy and motion incorporating negative space and vibrant colors into the composition. The final work is a succession of moments that gives the viewer a sense of the entire performance or a 360-degree perspective of the landscape.
The artist has had several major shows throughout his career. His paintings and drawings are in public and private collections worldwide. Major works include: Portrait of President Bill Clinton, hanging in the White House residence; The Los Angeles Philharmonic-The Hollywood Bowl Series; The 118th Preakness Celebration, the only painting at Baltimore-Washington International Airport; Alvin Alley Dance-Winter in Lisbon; Samson & Delilah, for The Baltimore Opera Company; The Peabody Preparatory-100th Anniversary; The Hi-De-Hi-De-Ho Hole-A Tribute to Cab Calloway, Maryland Art Place, The Art Links Miniature Golf Course Project.
Whether it be a famous performer, an image of our favorite mountain view, or the neighbor next door, Jay Wolf Schlossberg-Cohen imparts a dynamism, a force, a magic into the image that moves you to a new level of seeing, of feeling, of experiencing the cycles of our lives.