Jim Cole

JIM COLE

Jim Cole's recent work continues a long tradition of personal expression using an established language of form. Each work is a unique investigation of a particular idiom. Cole considers his works to be, in the simplest terms, poetic statements. He deliberately limits his formal choices through process, interested in the range of expression within his chosen parameters. The highly expressive surfaces reflect Cole's personal history without dictating emotion, engendering a new response for each viewer. Jim Cole's work is included in the permanent collections of institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the The American Craft Museum. 

“The object with it’s capacity to evoke a response that can be meaningful on many levels has always interested me, so I make objects. Ones that reflect my history, while at the same time establishing a moment of reference for anyone who might encounter them and physically come into contact with them. One need only recall the first time any particular event took place to reflect on the many associated thoughts, feelings and relationships. Beyond that, I am continuing a long tradition of personal expression using an established language. The language I’ve chosen, or more appropriately, the language that has chosen me, is form. The results are the objects in front of you. Each is a unique investigation of a particular idiom. I have deliberately limited my formal choices through process, being more interested in the range of expression I can achieve in this manner. I consider these to be, in the simplest terms, poetic statements. Each is a poem written in the same language but with diverse subject matter.”  - Jim Cole