Georgia’s Shelton Cochran calls himself a modern folk artist, blending traditional folk art subject matter and materials with modern technology.
Artist: An Army brat, Cochran was born in Wiesbaden, Germany and spent the majority of his formative years on American Army bases overseas and in the United States.
While earning a degree in business management, Cochran took art history classes as electives and worked in the university print shop. Afterward, he had a successful career in retail management and worked at the West Point Military Academy in New York.
After leaving corporate America, Cochran decided to return to college and earned a BFA in graphic design from the Art Institute of Atlanta. After graduation, he launched Shelton Cochran Designs, a graphic design service in Marietta, but continued to make art on the side.
Company/studio: Shelton Cochran is based in Marietta. The artist works in a studio/workshop in his basement, which also includes a mini gallery.
In the beginning: In 2018, a friend came by Cochran’s studio and told him he wasn’t an artist because he didn’t share his work.
“I was just some guy making things in his basement,” said Cochran. “That kind of shook me … because I never really thought about what being an artist meant.”
Cochran then joined the Atlanta Artist Center and entered a few juried shows.
“Right before the pandemic,” said Cochran. “I decided to just focus on my art. Great timing. But I persevere and haven’t looked back.”
Art & materials: Mostly textured relief woodcarvings, incorporating materials, such as paper, plastic, metal, hair, and found objects ($500 to $6,500 and up to $10,000).
The multi-media artist also creates assemblages with found objects and is a digital photographer.
“I am a visual storyteller,” said Cochran. “And use whatever materials help me tell the story”
What’s popular: “The Civil Arts Project: Art with a Purpose.” The exhibit is designed to start a conversation about race relations in America. Six pieces of the exhibit are presently on display at the Alpharetta (GA) Arts Center, through Aug. 2.
The project is continually growing, said Cochran. Currently, there are approximately 16 pieces (three recently sold), but he uses images of the sold pieces in presentations.
Must-have tools: Chisels and mallets, brushes, cameras, Photoshop, and Adobe illustrator.
Inspirations: Folk art, jazz and everyday life.
Fun or unusual commissions:
- Turned a baby grand piano into a wall sculpture, an angel called Rebirth. The sculpture is on permanent display at the Alpharetta Arts Center. The piano was part of the Play Me Again Piano program through Fulton County.
- Used the sound plate from that piano to create a sculpture titled “Shark Fin,” in front of the aquatics center at Wills Park Pool in Alpharetta.
- Two murals, “Archangel Dizzy Gillespie Descending” and “Band of Angels” for Tyler Technologies in Lawrenceville, GA, via Studio West.
These two murals incorporated found items, including a trumpet and saxophone made from vegetable tins and a drum kit made from soup cans, leather hats and shoes – and buttons.
Recent honors:
- Third year as an exhibiting artist in the Metro Montague juried exhibit at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, GA. 2025.
- Exhibiting artist at ArtFields, an annual art competition and festival in Lake City, SC. 2024. Cochran’s work, “Salvation,” is a study based on the role the Black church played in the Civil Rights Movement.
What’s new:
- Recently signed for representation with Mason Fine Art in Atlanta.
- Part of 25th installment of the Metro Montague group exhibit at the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art.
Cochran’s work, “Why (Do They Treat Them Better Than Us),” is based on a story Cochran’s father told him about growing up in Dothan, AL. Through Aug. 31. (See image at right)
Where to buy:
- Sheltoncochran.com
- Mason Fine Art, Atlanta, GA.
Connect:
- Instagram: @sheltoncochrandesigns
