Myrna Leigh Cohn

Last Sunday, during a spurt of surplus energy, I decided to clean out my file cabinet. Yes, I still have a file cabinet; in fact, I have two two-drawer files cabinets. I know this is supposed to be a “paperless” environment, but sometimes I feel the need to save an article of interest or a [...]

Fleeting, fleeting, fleeting. Time marches or runs, as the case may be… so much to do and not enough time to give my all to any one thing. My to-do list: Write in journal Arrange paintings into separate galleries for new Website Identify, measure and price paintings Work on the next module of my “MoMA” [...]

I am scrolling down my recent e-mails when I notice one from “Artists Newsletter.” Curious, I click on the entry and am taken to a Website where I saw an ad from Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in NYC. It is an invitation to join one of their online courses. I am curious to see [...]

It is 9 pm on May 31. I have a contract with myself to write at least one blog post per month. If I look back at previous posts and I can see a pattern repeating itself… I am prone to procrastination. Notice, I did not say I am a procrastinator. It’s just that when [...]

“For writing is a solitary occupation and one of it’s hazards is loneliness.  But an advantage of loneliness is privacy, autonomy and freedom.” – Joyce Carole Oates, from A Widow’s Story For all intents and purposes, I am now and have been for two weeks, on “vacation.” Since I’m sure there are many definitions of this [...]

My paintings are contemporary reflections of an evolving journey through what was once a typical life – an equal mix of beauty, joy and love, challenged by frustration, fear and loss. I came late to my passion. I am, for the most part, self-taught, but the few people with whom I have studied have given [...]

For the past few weeks, I have been thinking about depression – mine, to be exact. I sense a heaviness in my chest and in my legs. The thought of reaching out is instantly rejected. An overwhelming sense of sadness seems to permeate my mind and my heart. So much has been happening in the [...]

“I craved honesty, yet found dishonesty in myself. Why commit to art? For self-realization, or for itself? It seemed indulgent to add to the glut unless one offered illumination.” …from “Just Kids” by Patti Smith

It’s been a bit too long since my last post.  How do I know? I know because now I have so many stories to tell, I don’t know which to choose.  In fact, my mind is swirling around in so many directions, I’m feeling dizzy. In addition, from a practical standpoint, if I don’t write [...]

The scourge of the writer…  it’s time to begin the story, but where? When? Who? How? For the visual artist, it’s “the blank white canvas,” stark, flat and looking very much like the white snow-filled scene outside my studio window on this January day. I may or may not know what my next subject will be, [...]