Shelton Cochran is an award winning, emerging mixed-media artist.
A visual storyteller, he calls his art modern folk. Blending traditional folk art subject matter, materials and tools with today's technology.
Shelton uses a variety of materials in his work. One piece can contain up to 5+ different materials, he feels the different textures help the viewer connect with the piece on a deeper level. Some of Shelton's work include "painting" relief woodcarvings with a variety of materials (paper, plastic, metal, hair, etc) and found items. The work determines the material.
An Army brat, Shelton taught himself to draw at the age of 12, while hospitalized at t
he United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He started carving shortly after he was discharged from the hospital.
A week after graduating from high school, Shelton found himself stationed with his family in Nuremberg, Germany. “Gently” persuaded to pursue a business degree by his well-meaning father (“Boy, you can’t earn a living as an artist!”), Shelton attended the University of Maryland campus in Munich, Germany, earning an Associate Degree in Business and Management. He also took as many elective art courses as he could.
Returning to the U.S., Shelton continued his studies, pursuing a Bachelor of Art in business degree at Ladycliff College, adjacent to West Point. While there, he took a printmaking course and became intrigued with the process. Printing from woodcuts, to paper, using a hand press was totally new to Shelton. He had previous printing experience, while in high school he worked at a local commercial print shop and in college he ran the university's print shop. In the print shops he used offset printing presses, photo copy machines and plate makers. The printmaking process presented exciting possibilities, ones that fit his natural,
God given abilities.
Shelton would go on to study mixed-media art at Manhattan’s famed School of Visual Arts for a year. Years later, he would study graphic design at the Art Institute of Atlanta. Graduating with a BFA in Graphic Design, he launched Shelton Cochran Designs, a graphic design service. But what he really wanted was to follow what was truly in his heart -- art! So for the past decade, Shelton has provided brand-centric graphic design services, helping small businesses tell their stories, while pursuing his art and developing his vision. The result is reflected in his unique artistic style: an integration of folk art elements with graphic design expertise.