Since moving to town a decade ago, artist Adam Cohn shared his work with fellow residents for the first time last Thursday with his “I Could Do That” linear seascape display at MacRae’s Sustainable Goods. Marbleheaders in attendance were able to see the impact the town has had on his art, but the display only scratched the surface of his diverse artistic portfolio.
Cohn’s initial artistic interest was sparked by his mother’s hobby as a skilled sketch artist during his childhood. A Pennsylvania native, Cohn earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design at Penn State. Not too long after graduating, he founded his own graphic-design company in the Washington D.C. area. Those years of experience helped him acquire design positions at high-profile companies like Nike and Converse. He recapped all the different mediums of art he has gained experience in throughout his career.
“Storytelling and narrative is a creative thing that I do. Also actual graphic design, which is logos, publications, and websites. Also poster design, logo design, packaging design, all that stuff. Any medium of design, I’ve done it,” Cohn said.
During his time working for the two national footwear and apparel companies, Cohn designed things such as footwear boxes, logos, and even retail stores. He even played a part in launching the sneaker-customization software NikeID nearly 25 years ago. Through those experiences, Cohn learned what one of his favorite parts of being an artist is.
“Creativity meets communication,” Cohn said. “It’s about making humans feel something. Which is what you do with art also, but when it comes to graphic design and marketing you are also trying to make them do something like make a purchase.”
Cohn set out to accomplish a similar goal with his art exhibition. His hand-drawn linear seascapes might be a departure from his resume of digital and corporate design, but his mission of influencing others stays the same.
“It’s not about the work,” Cohn said. “I’m satisfying something with myself in this but there’s something about it for me… I like finding out that someone else liked it and it’s making an impact on somebody else’s life.”
The numerous works that are on display at MacRae’s vary in different ways, however one theme is consistent throughout them all.
“I’ve always been interested in water, the frequencies of water, patterns in water, and just being near the water,” Cohn said.
He added that Marblehead played an obvious role in influencing his artistic interest in seascapes. Some of his works are based on real Marblehead locations, including Marblehead Light and Peach’s Point. Cohn identified the latter as his personal favorite piece.
“It’s one of those ones that from a distance it appears one way, but then you get up close to it and you see all the different little things that are going on in it,” Cohn said. “There’s something about this one that allows you to have an experience from 20 feet away and then a different experience from 2 feet away.”
“I Could Do That” will remain on display, with artworks available for purchase, at MacRae’s through Sunday, Oct. 1.