Rising Stars: Meet Rosanne Coty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rosanne Coty. 

Hi Rosanne, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story starts on the East side, and continues to West Michigan. I was born in Detroit and grew up in Lathrup Village, Southfield area. My Mom sewed and introduced my two brothers and I to crafts from an early age. I loved trips to the fabric stores with all the colors and textures. I used ‘learn to draw’ books and started drawing. I kept a sketchbook and developed a strong grasp of shadows and shading from an early age. My parents were very encouraging.

I went to Marian high school in Birmingham. Marian had a very strong art program and I arranged to take art electives for four years. While there, I won several awards for pencil pieces and pen and ink stipplings. Aquinas College and the Kendall School of Design offered an affiliated program in Grand Rapids that earned me a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Aquinas and an Associate degree in Visual Communications from Kendall. Aquinas’ Liberal Arts program included rigorous traditional art courses, while Kendall introduced me to graphics and package design, and even broadcasting! I made a Carl Lewis pen and ink cross hatching at Kendall that was honored by New York’s Society of Illustrators, published in their Design Annual and was shown there.

After graduating I married Matt Coty whom I met at Aquinas. I landed an ideal job as a Designer for children’s clothes at H.H.Cutler in downtown GR. It was a family owned company that manufactured and printed original designs and licensed Disney art that sold through major department stores. Unfortunately, the garment industry in our country struggled, as operations went overseas. Soon the company was sold to Vanity Fair. I left because we were ready to have a second child.

Staying home and raising three daughters while juggling freelance work was challenging. I designed brochures, logos, and took various computer design jobs. I rode a few waves through the years too. At one point I kept busy hand painting murals in homes, this included a Parade of Homes model. My husband and kids were my main focus though. With my husband’s support, I continued to keep up on my art. I volunteered skills toward Girl Scouts, church activities and orchestra events. We invested in a quality camera and I worked professionally as a family photographer and for Cascade Life Magazine.

In 2005, we had a fourth daughter who died shortly after birth. After we lost her, I made my first large painting, Bottled Up, which was therapeutic. It led to my first bottle series of paintings with colorful glass. I also converted from acrylic to oils.

ArtPrize was a huge opportunity. In 2011 I entered my first one with a re-worked Bottled Up at HopCat. By 2013, I was ready to contend. I created Trip of Our Youth, shown at The Children’s Museum. It was very well received public artwork. The three paintings, acrylic, each 60″H x 48″W, celebrate children on a grand scale to focus on their importance in society. Each playfully has a word incorporated within. After ArtPrize I entered “Trip” at Art Walk Central in Mount Pleasant, and won the First Place People’s Choice Award. I became an art instructor with Kendall’s Continuing Studies program. I continued to enter art competitions. In 2015 I began my Perception V Reality Series and Reconciling with Self was at the Police Department, it also was featured in Lansing. In 2016 I had a large showing at The B.O.B. with a wall of Perception V Reality, resulting in a brief interaction and compliment from Jerry Saltz, New York Times Art Critic, who told me I was a “True Artist” and he “blessed” me. Enormous validation! In 2018, one painting, The Fitting Room, was at Studio D2D The Harris Building. My painting The Commuters was selected for the Global competition Art in the Time of Corona. This Fall I will be at The B.O.B. for ArtPrize, and they are giving me 18 feet of space!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a bumpy upward climb. As an artist, my skills have improved consistently. Juggling family life and carving out time for personal pursuits is a struggle every effective parent feels. Financial constraints are also difficult. Anyone who lives the “gig” life based upon commission can tell you that there are major ups and down. You have to be prepared for the slow times. Art supplies are not cheap. I definitely learned to be more focused when I got time to paint, and it was important to realize time is money. As an independent, I do my own marketing, booking, etc. I manage social media outlets. Making art is the best part, but it is often overshadowed. I have become faster at producing high quality work in a limited time. I rarely relax and paint, it is a more focused, active, immersive experience.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Ever since I was young I felt I looked at the world differently than others. When I look at something I find myself considering light and shadow; often thinking “how would I draw or paint this”? I believe every piece of art starts with a good drawing. It is up to the artist to make sense of the world for the viewer. My design background is evident in my painted work. I use tight cropping and strive to create a dynamic design. I also love intense, pure saturated color, and have a tendency to use blue. I like to give the world a unique perspective, I also like word play and puns. Sometimes they invade my art.

My Perception V Reality series focused on women and reflection; literally and metaphorically. I would reflect the image, then change it a little to give new meaning. I am so proud of this body of work. I was really enjoying this series and had more ideas when the pandemic hit and I could no longer get models.

This led to my current series Silvi-(Un)Cultured. Silviculture is the art and science of controlling establishment, composition, health, and quality of forests and woodlands for society, wildlife, and wood production on a sustainable basis. ​It’s humans making decisions about nature.

My series SILVI-(UN)CULTURED celebrates the beauty of the wild. It is inspired by Michigan river landscapes, forests, and trees. I paint what grounds us. I consider our roots, growth and outreach. People’s lives intertwine and branch out, mimicking what is seen in nature; life, hope, development, dormancy, and death.  When I see twisted branches and roots, I cannot help but think of the shelter provided in their tangled embrace. I appreciate support systems that develop and interconnect. In life, we can encounter something that trips us up. Looking back and seeing the whole picture, our tangled lives are often messy, but beautiful.

Long term focus for the future is to expand my studio space, travel, and design more art for specific clothing and home fashion lines. But, mainly, paint more.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My husband and my family make me happiest! My creativity comes out in all I do; gardening, cooking, and throwing parties. Artistically, I draw and paint to express myself. My hope is that others find my work engaging or connect. It is so satisfying to have someone really linger and take in one of my paintings, and to hear it discussed. I think that is why I often add little nuances, or secondary images, just to reward the thoughtful viewer.

Contact Info:

• Website: rosannecoty.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rosannecotyart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosannecoty
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosannecoty
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCudgk0B3pcvEyKSIf7hahvA
• Other: https://linktr.ee/rosannecotyartistdesigner, https://www.patreon.com/rosannecoty

Image Credits
Rosanne Coty
Belle Coty
Gabi Coty