Hunter Editions

On Artist Rufus Coes

For Rufus Coes, artistic talent was quick to emerge. In a report card dated October, 1945, his kindergarten teacher recorded the following observation: “Rufus is a very good artist.” His development as an artist continued through secondary school and college and in 1963, Coes was awarded the top student art prize during his senior year at Trinity College.

Despite the early recognition of his talent, painting remained a sideline following the completion of his formal education. To keep body and soul together, Coes worked in printing, then in broadcasting – painting during his scarce free time as the demands of work and a growing family allowed. His drive to create, however, was strong, and his output sufficient to maintain a regular presence in juried shows throughout the Northeast, where he consistently won critical praise and attracted the interest of a growing number of collectors and galleries.

During his mid-thirties, on the momentum of his growing reputation, Coes made a full-time commitment to painting. The transition proved both rewarding and challenging, coupling the excitement of pursuing his lifelong passion with the stark realities of unpredictable income, extensive travel, intense deadlines and the many demands of operating what amounted to a one-man business.

Coes, who had long looked to Maine for subject matter – ranging from seaside cottages and snow-laden spruce trees to sea shells and unmade beds – made the permanent move to Maine in his late thirties. Once there, his family continued to grow and his painting evolved. Over the course of the next twenty years, Coes exhibited his work at galleries and exhibitions, and produced work for one-man shows throughout the northeast.

While Coes continued to enjoy painting, the surrounding demands began to outweigh the rewards. In the early 1990s, Coes began to explore the capabilities of desktop publishing and computer graphics. For several years, Coes refined his graphic design skills, enjoying both creative satisfaction and commercial success producing ads, catalogs and videos. During that time, however, painting was never far from his mind.

In 2002, coinciding with the college graduation of the youngest of his six children, a chance conversation with a longtime collector plunged him back into full-time painting – without the pressures of annual shows, travel and the day-to-day management of his art as a business. Since his return to painting, Coes has completed a substantial body of new work in both oil and watercolor. While capturing the style and energy of his earlier work, his most recent work demonstrates a level of refinement and maturity borne only of experience – as an artist, a parent, a husband and an entrepreneur.

Rufus Coes
Phippsburg,
Maine

Original Medium:
Oils and Watercolor

Title: Lawn Chairs

Canvas and
Photo Rag 308gm

Website:
www.rufuscoes.com

Hunter Editions
Kennebunk, ME
1-888-278-4747

"Lawn Chairs"