My artwork is an extension and reflection of the natural world. I create textural pieces using vegetation – including wood fiber, tree bark and limbs, clay, sand, foliage and flower petals, fruit peels and pulp, onion, garlic and avocado skins, tea leaves, coffee grounds, and the found organic objects of forests, mountains, glens, rivers and streams.

I focus on exploring and revealing the materiality (in texture, tone, and organization) of Nature’s vast creative expression. Every tree is a living sculpture. The forest floor, mosses, rock, clay, sand, soil, dirt, and roots are all elements of a natural, renewable, self-sustaining masterpiece.

While my use of naturally sourced vegetation arose from a desire to move away from commercial pigments, canvas, and other manufactured supplies, my intention is to express a deep reverence for the beauty and magic of the natural world.

Born in New Brunswick, NJ, Fred Peretz Cohn spent his early childhood in neighboring Highland Park before moving with his family to the Jersey Shore. He graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in French, received a masters in French Studies from New York University, and subsequently spent several years working and studying in Paris. He lived in New York City (1979-2002) before moving to Ithaca, NY.

Currently, Fred resides in Asheville, NC with his wife and their two children.