Robert N. Cohen: Portland, Maine Artist

Finding this artist's gallery tucked away in the midst of Portland, Maine's Old Port while on an outing with my family was like a breath of fresh air . . . picture this:

A narrow streetway filled to the rim with shoppers, restaurants, and other entrepenurial efforts . . . people everywhere carrying shopping bags, riding bikes, looking for a place to park their car . . . buildings so tall no matter where you are you are in the shade . . . and in the middle of all this hustle and bustle, the quaint . . .

Exchange Street Gallery

Something drew me in immediatly. Could it have been the crowd of people I watched walking in and out? Maybe. Could it have been the smell of fresh paint from a piece the artist may have been working on luring me in? Possibly. Could it have been the many paintings I saw staring at me through the windows? Absolutly!

Robert N. Cohen's work captures the beauty of many scenic attractions including the Portland, Maine and Old Orchard Beach, Maine areas with vibrant color and elegance. Capturing the essence of each subject with a unique flair of his own is his specialty . . . you can almost feel the seabreeze on your face as you gaze upon one of his lighthouse paintings.

This native to Portland, Maine is a graduate of the Maine College of Art. He opened his first gallery in 1988. His style combines the use of watercolor and gouache. (Gouache is a method of painting with opaque watercolors mixed with a preparation of gum.) Around 1995, R. N. Cohen's gallery became present on the Internet, accoording to the August 15, 1997 edition of The Online Guide. Fran Cohen is quoted by Patricia McCarthy of Blethlan Maine Newspapers in 1997:

"Compared to others, we don't know what we're doing, but we're happy with it," say Fran Cohen, "We thought getting in on the bottom floor was important. We wanted people to be aware of the gallery, to know that we're in the Old Port and to stop by."

If it is not possible to visit this charming gallery in person, it's presence can be found on numerous sites on the web:

Exchange Street Gallery

Maine Market

Maine.com: Go to "Artists"

Portland, Maine

I had the opportunity to perform an e-mail interview with Mr. Cohen not long ago. Here is your chance to hear from the artist, himself:

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