Trompe Loeil | Inspiration| Murals | William Cochran
Inspirational is the least I can say about this Fredricks Maryland artist who has changed the lives of many.
I am going to update this post once again, because here we are 12 years later form the time I had written this post that I think some inspiration today (09/24/2021) is needed now more than ever.
(updated 12/2/2012)
There are several artists that I have studied with over the years and if it were not for all of them I would not be where I am today.
First off, I would like to thank Donna Phelps of the Sarasota School of Decorative Arts and Architectural Finishes who I met many years ago when I was in search of expanding my education into the decorative arts and if it were not for her I probably wouldn’t have met most of these artists that I have.
So to show my appreciation for them all I am going to write a little something about them and how they have influenced my life
The reason for this post is to bring attention to an artist that I met just last year through a class that with Donna’s hard work managed to put it together for November of 2008 …….Thank You, Donna ….. I am very grateful …..
Now I am going to write a little bit about each artist that has been an influence on my life and after being notified that there was a very special video that had been posted by Teresa Rogers Cochran. I had to jump on this Trompe Loeil Inspiration right away because I feel so strongly about what this man has accomplished by this 5-year project. I first started researching this artist some years ago after Donna had introduced me to yet another artist who also was a guest instructor at her school. Somehow she sensed the kind of knowledge I was in search of even when I didn’t know myself and so I was introduced to Sheri Hoeger an airbrush artist of Big Oaks Art Studio in California, you see Donna and I actually became close friends over the years and she probably knows me better than I know myself sometimes lmao. Shes had to put her foot down with me a couple of times. lol
Sheri is one of the most talented airbrush Trompe L’oeil artists I have seen and I became drawn to her way of teaching because of how she deals with each person on an individual basis as do most of the artists that I have studied with and it was through Sheri that I had first heard of William Cochran.
I will talk more about Donna and Sheri later on in my “Inspiration” blog series but before I do I MUST get this one out for the world to see. In these economic times, I think everyone should hear this story about Trompe Loeil Inspiration William Cochran, Community Bridge and I can only hope that it does for you, what it has done for me.
In the summer of 2008, I was suffering through a tremendous amount of artists block that was destroying my creative energy. This was something I heard of and never have experienced it personally and quite frankly thought it was bullshit. Well let me tell you something….. it is something that is very real and very devastating….period. I would sit for hours staring at a blank canvas or board or whatever and I wanted to paint, but and absolutely nothing could get me motivated, inspired, energize whatever term you want to use, but it was destroying me creatively and nothing seemed to work to get that DRIVE, that ENERGY, that EXCITEMENT, going ………nothing…………………………………………………………..depression set in…………something has to be done
So after realizing that I had to do something about it I started researching the internet and for some reason, I ended up on Williams site and remembered how Sheri had talked about William Cochran, Community Bridge, his passion, knowledge, Inspiration and I read every single word on his site, his work, his accomplishments, his Inspiration and believe me its a big site.
This moved me in a way that I can not explain and probably never will be able to, but I knew I had to meet this artist………
I searched and tried to find out if he was going to be teaching somewhere and I did find out that he was doing guest instructions at Sheri’s Studio at Big Oak Arts and from the way it looked, he was there on a regular basis which was only a couple of times a year well I was stumped, I don’t know what it was or why it was but I knew I just had to get to one of his classes, but the only thing was with learning from William he will not take you as a student unless you had his prerequisite which was a color value study of a bust of “Cesar”…………………mandatory………..shit! I missed the class at Big Arts………….
Now I believe everything happens for a reason, people, places, things, circumstances………wrong…….right……..good or bad…………..everything ……… has its reason for happening in this universe and the only thing that matters is the outcome of the choices that you make……..
Well, the phone rings……and it was Donna (I’m always glad to hear from Donna) and she tells me that “Art I think i may have something here you might be interested in” and she tells me that William Cochran is going to teach his prerequisite class in November…………yes the excitement was overwhelming and actually lifted me up on my feet and encouraged me to get off my ass and paint something even if it’s wrong! “paint it fool !” I did …………a friggen mess…………..and I burned it………..
At the time, money was not flowing, the economy was shit, and of course, the kind of work that I am involved with is more of a luxury than it is a necessity and of course, when people tighten up on the proverbial pocketbook us artists are the first to go, of course, I just didn’t have the money for the deposit……….period. Something or someone must have whispered something into Donna’s ear because she says to me, ” I know that times are tough and for a few of us she was willing to let us make installments for this class…….everything happens for a reason…………….fate?………reason?……who knows………I was excited..
November couldn’t have come fast enough lmao……..and at last, the first day of class……….be careful what you wish for!
After a week with William, I finally understood why the first class was mandatory, it was creatively challenging and grueling and very very full filling…… I was eating this up like a fat kid at a pie-eating contest……….hook line and sinker…… lol because he teaches in such a unique way that separates a “true Trompe loeil” from a “faux Trompe loeil”, yes folks there is a difference and I didn’t get it until the last day of the class, ……..I walked out of Donnas after the fifth day with newfound energy and Inspiration. William not only teaches you how to paint but how to look at things not only artistically but philosophically. He teaches you how to look at the light in a whole different way, be open with yourself, and to get in touch with the artist’s mind and how it works and how to deal with the constant battle that goes on with the right side and left side of your brain.
I have been more than just creative with my painting and my art, and I think if you really look at this blog closely and see everything that has gone into it and have been following me closely you will see that being creative goes beyond the canvas…………………….way beyond………………..everything happens for a reason……………………………fate?……………………………who knows?
9 thoughts on “Trompe Loeil Inspiration William Cochran, Community Bridge”
Some pretty amazing work!
Thanks Cindy, William is an inspirational artist and teacher, much can be learned from him and his experiences. A very interesting conversationalist when it comes to light, music, color and how its all relative when it comes to art.
Hi Art, I remember Mr Cochran coming to IDAL convention in USA as keynote speaker. We saw a slide show of the bridge project and he talked us through it. Wow!!!!… I think everyone thought the same.
Hi Helen, He is an excellent keynote speaker indeed and very captivating I am so glad to have met him
Thanks for posting this amazing artwork. This bridge project is incredibly inspiring for the community residents and artists of Frederick County. William Cochran is phenomenal!
I too am a believer in . . . everything happens for a reason.
I look forward to sharing the inspiration of art in our own backyard.
Arthur,
Thank you for bringing this wonderfully inspiring project to my attention.
Ever, Teri
Great blog, Art- I had the opportunity to speak to William years ago and have followed his activities since. Also saw the bridge in pewrson- awesome. Does he still teach at Sheri’s?