"My work explores the evolving relationships between color, gesture, and form. Through
painting, printmaking, and collage, I work intuitively, allowing each piece to develop through
experimentation, revision, and discovery. I often begin with a simple mark, color, or shape,
building, removing, shifting, and reworking until the composition finds its own balance.
Moving between painting and printmaking has become an important part of my practice. The
immediacy of painting and the repetition and unpredictability of printmaking continually
influence one another, opening possibilities I might not have discovered through either process
alone.
Color is central to my work—not simply as description, but as an active force that creates
rhythm, movement, and emotional presence. Gesture brings energy and immediacy, while form
provides structure and tension. I want the work to invite looking without prescribing what should
be seen, leaving space for viewers to discover their own associations and emotional connections."
Bobbye Cochran is a Chicago-based artist working across painting, printmaking, and collage. Her abstract work explores the relationships between color, gesture, and form through an intuitive process of experimentation and revision.
Before dedicating herself fully to fine art, Cochran led a nationally recognized career as an illustrator and graphic designer. Named “National Illustrator of the Year” by Adweek and included among “Chicago’s 27 Designers,” her clients included American Express, United Airlines, and the Metropolitan Opera of New York. Her 20-by-60-foot mural at 900 North Michigan Avenue, home to the Four Seasons Hotel, was a Chicago landmark for over 30 years.
Cochran holds a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis and maintains an active studio practice at Mana Contemporary in Chicago. Her work is held in private and corporate collections. Recent exhibitions include the 92nd Members Exhibition at The Arts Club of Chicago and the 78th Rockford Midwestern Biennial at the Rockford Art Museum.