'The Last Picture Show' Ebensburg man's art on display at Bottle Works; retiring to Northwest coast

Jun. 25—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — This exhibition could possibly be the final solo show by an area artist.

"The Last Picture Show," an exhibition by Ebensburg resident Kenneth Cotlar, is on display through July 16 at Bottle Works, 411 Third Ave. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

"In the past two decades, I've had 13 one-man shows, and it's an enormous amount of work," Cotlar said.

"With my advancing age, it's likely the next one will be posthumous.

"We're planning to retire to the Northwest coast to be near family in the near future, so that's why I'm billing this as 'The Last Picture Show' and my last show for this region.

"It's a last chance for patrons to see a large body of my work."

Paintings, photographs, drawings

The showcase features more than 80 pieces of acrylic abstract paintings, 30 photographs and a dozen pen-and-ink drawings that span a little more than 20 years.

"While I'm known for the work that I show at art festivals in the region, which is semi- objective, decorative and whimsical, this show exhibits my passion for totally non-objective abstraction," Cotlar said.

"A discerning eye can see my influences from the abstract expressionists of the '50s like (Adolph) Gottlieb, (Ad) Reinhardt and (Barnett) Newman, as well as (Wassily) Kandinsky, (Paul) Klee and (Marc) Chagall."

He said his main objectives are to show the viewer something they haven't seen before and to engage them with line, color and form in a unique way.

"The paintings are widely varied, but tied together using similar painting techniques that I've developed over time as my own trademarks," Cotlar said.

"When people look at my work, it doesn't matter which type they're looking at. They know it's mine."

Process-driven works

He said his abstract paintings are process- driven works created on various surfaces that include masonite, Plexiglas, aluminum, or heavy raw duck canvas, using acrylic, latex and oil paints.

"My methodology involves readying myself by means of transcendental meditation — relaxing and clearing the mind of preconceived images — and then executing a random mark, stroke, swath or pool of paint," Cotlar said.

"Then each subsequent stroke is suggested from the previous."

He said the concept is to get the painting to paint itself.

"The process and the resulting image are what the painting is about," Cotlar said.

"I consciously try not to impose myself on the painting, yet become part of the natural random progression of the art. The images are mostly unconscious or intuitive and are intentionally non-representational."

He said he views abstract art as similar to music.

"When you listen to music, it's not objective. It's something you just enjoy and you're engrossed by it," Cotlar said.

"I think abstract painting can be the same way. You just take it for what it is."

He said that he doesn't work from inspiration and finds that restrictive.

"I just sit down and start working, and it happens," Cotlar said.

"It's almost like a state of mind."

Cotlar earned a bachelor's degree from Penn State in 1969 and worked as a graphic design artist in Philadelphia for several years before moving to Cambria County to partner with his wife in business.

He freelanced graphic design projects for various regional businesses, as well as visual merchandising and advertising art.

For three decades, Cotlar painted sporadically, selling his works selectively.

Retiring from business in early 2001, he returned to full-time painting after graduate work at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Cotlar's award-winning paintings have been exhibited in numerous juried shows, one-man exhibits and art festivals and are held in private collections throughout the United States.

"I hope people enjoy my work and that they're engaged by them and find something pleasing in each one," Cotlar said.

Matt Lamb, Bottle Works' creative director, said Bottle Works strives to highlight local talent in its exhibitions.

"Ken is an extremely talented painter, and his work is very intriguing because it carries a level of texture that you don't see in a lot of paintings," he said.

"We wanted to highlight him as an artist and as a leader in the arts community because he's the president of the Allied Artists of Johnstown and he does a lot to mentor other artists in the area."

Lamb said the uniqueness of Cotlar's technique is the texture.

"He does some really incredible things by layering paint and using the medium in a different way than a lot of artists use it," he said.

"We have to keep telling people not to touch the art because you just want to touch it to see if the texture is really there."

Lamb said through the exhibit, people will get an opportunity to experience Cotlar's artistic legacy.

"Ken has been a big part of the art community in Johnstown for many years, so we want to make sure that people understand how many talented people are here and how the arts are thriving in Johnstown," he said.

Pieces in the exhibition are available for purchases.

A portion of the proceeds from the art sale will be donated to the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra.

There is no fee to attend the exhibition.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

For more information, call 814-535-2020 or visit www.bottleworks.org.