Jonathan Cole is currently the winner of the Miami Bombay Sapphire trophy and will be competing nationally at SCOPE/Basel this year. His work will be showcased at the prestigious SCOPE fair in Basel, the world’s leading contemporary art show. Cole’s art digs into the subconscious to decipher causality and shed light on the psychological mechanisms that drive personality. Subject matter is drawn from mental disorder archetypes, concepts of energy healing, and the influence of the divine.Of Swedish and American descent, Cole’s early childhood was spent in isolation. Adolescence saw honing of line and painting skills in leading art schools. Classical training was interrupted for a number of years as Cole traveled extensively, tunneling through society in search of inspiration. Postings in dozens of countries provided colorful and symbolic inspiration, later portrayed in his art. In the aftermath of his business career, a sea change occurred for Cole while studying in a school for psychics. Cole fused dormant art skills with the wealth of stimuli garnered over years of traveling to illustrate the work done in the school’s environment. The focus became the depiction of individuals healing from borderline personality disorders.His pieces address psychological, emotional, or spiritual ailments as they are confronted, succumbed to, or triumphed over. While decorative and highly rendered, the pieces are designed to instigate a healing response. A depiction of a character trait, such as masochism, might suggest a positive outcome or illustrate pitfalls. As a road map to healing, the art is a catalyst for change. When viewed repetitively, the observer is triggered emotionally and a healing response initiates over time. Pieces are tailored to individuals and viewers will relate in dissimilar fashions. Cole’s early work showcased evil. The Lower Self, or more negative self, was portrayed as the vanquisher,
Subject M. releases the associated negative belief system holding her wounds and pain in place, letting it dissolve and feeling the clarity of the moment. Personality-level understanding is achieved, spurred by awareness of the past life's pain which has been repeated in many incarnations. Ignited by knowledge, M. lets go of the karma in the moment and sees into a future without the habitual emotional pitfalls. Her lips are ajar, expectant as a lover's in anticipation of a kiss. Her eyes are far-reaching, projecting into the Divine. Attention is given to rendering the eyes and the lips in an effort to capture the viewer. The faces morphs and oozes out of the surface. Just as one longs for release and clarity, so the portrait comes off the page, leaning into the viewer, moving outward and toward the infinite. The eyes and lips spill out, exacerbating the feeling of yearning. A high level of detail and rendering is accomplished using the best quality charcoal and high grade watercolor paper by Arches. The paper allows for ultra fine texturing and high fidelity in the rendition of skin, hair, and light. Clarity is unmounted and will require a frame in order to hang.
