Calamity Cole

Calamity Cole paints in Crestline, in the San Bernardino mountains, in rheumatoid remission and glad of her hands. Pop-Surrealism from Southern California; the woods still feel close.

Her artistic vision is profoundly shaped by the natural world and its peculiar inhabitants, drawing inspiration from the vintage charm of 1950s illustrations, folklore, monsters, and cats. Cole invites us through those pictures, guided by the gaze of young girls who often take center stage. In a bold departure from the orthodoxy of art academies, she embraces narrative art with fervor, aligning herself with the suggestivism movement, which advocates for the evocative power of art to stir the soul.

Cole wants the work to wake a yearning for the enchantment of youth and the boundless freedom of childhood. Her academic journey included studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the San Francisco Art Institute, where she developed a penchant for oil painting, eventually branching out into mixed media.

In her creative practice, Cole employs a diverse array of mediums, including pyrography, watercolor, charcoal, UV ink, decoupage, and gold leaf, showcasing her penchant for innovation. She delights in incorporating unconventional materials to add a layer of kinetic detail to her works, such as using UV flashlights to reveal hidden layers of invisible ink, thus adding a touch of interactive magic to her art.

Through her art, Cole aspires to evoke childhood wonder — delightful dreams, and the odd night creature, invited in — so we can reconnect with the magic that once seemed so near.