Jim Cotter

Bio

Jim Cotter is a metalsmith who lives and works in the Vail Valley of Colorado. Cotter is known for his playful mindset regarding art and life. His work consists of creating images from a variety of materials not normally associated with jewelry such as steel, concrete, rocks and sought after everyday objects.

Cotter's work can be found in the Herman Miller Collection, Korean Craft Museum, McDonald's Corporation and National Ornamental Metal Museum. And was also in selected exhibitions, to mention just a few: The Art of Gold at the Society of North American Goldsmiths and A Modern Bestiary at the Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, Wisconsin. Jim has also held workshops and classes in a multitude of places, including Haystack Mountain School and Anderson Ranch Arts Center.

Statement

Jim Cotter is known for his playful mindset regarding art and life. His work consists of creating images from a variety of materials not normally associated with jewelry such as steel, concrete, rocks and sought after everyday objects. 

He is often torn between loyalties to art and craft but has come to the conclusion that the distinction really does not matter and is no longer necessary. Just as one does not buy a painting because of the number of tubes of paint brushed on the canvas, jewelry is not merely the sum of its intrinsic materials. The design and idea embodied in a piece of jewelry captures the energy and makes the statement not the costly materials it is made from. Cotter enjoys the idea of combining disparate materials to assert that jewelry doesn’t have to be precious metal or gemstones and can survive outside the common perceptions of what properly constitutes jewelry.

CV