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Artist prayed for gift to grace retirement
In Jack Cochran's home, art is everywhere. Paintings adorn the walls and several easels, and they sit stacked against anything that will prop them up, waiting to be taken to galleries for sale.
There are portraits, one a striking life-size image of a young, blond girl in a flowing yellow dress, a bouquet of spring flowers dangling from one hand.
There are landscapes, with scenes of Kentucky's horses and evening by a country pond. There are still lifes with silver goblets full of fruit that looks so real you'd swear you can taste it.
But it's the sculpture in the center of Cochran's living room that sets the theme for the space -- and for Cochran's life these days. The aluminum piece shows Cochran's likeness signing the words, "Deafness is fine."
The piece is a celebration of Cochran's life as a deaf man and as an artist, two identities he's passionately proud of -- and identities that, in his case, are inextricably tied together. If not for the one, he might never have become the other.
Finding art
Cochran, now 73, began losing his hearing in his mid-30s. He attributes his hearing loss partly to noisy work environments during his 20-year tenure as a tool and die welder with General Motors in Detroit, he said.
By his mid-fifties, Cochran had become completely deaf. He had to retire from his second career in real estate sales and went through a period of depression. Fighting to overcome his initial despair, Cochran assimilated into the deaf community, learning sign language as well as how to read lips. He prayed to God to send him a "gift" to help him deal with his hearing loss and enrich his retirement years.
"I prayed and focused on it," said Cochran, who moved to Lexington in 1993 to be closer to his daughter, Karen. He also has a daughter who lives in Nevada and a son living in Detroit.
"I didn't want to think just because I was in my 60s, I was just going to be on the shelf for the rest of my life," he said.
Gradually, the gift came in the form of Cochran's previously untapped artistic talent. It was through the Donovan Scholars program at the University of Kentucky, which allows anyone age 65 and older to take classes for free, that Cochran first began studying art.
Once he started taking art classes, he couldn't stop. He took painting. And sculpture. And printmaking. And ceramics. He took all the art courses he could, until his program advisers reminded him he had to take other subjects, too, to qualify for a degree.
The university provided him with sign language interpreters and note takers to assist him with his classes, and in May 2006, after seven years in the Donovan program, Cochran graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in studio art. He followed that up in May 2007 with a bachelor's in fine arts degree in art studio with an emphasis in sculpture.
He is thought to be the first deaf graduate in the Donovan Program's 43-year history, said assistant director Arlene Johnson.
Cochran credits his UK professors, particularly the late Ross Zirkle, with helping him break out of his initial analytical mode to find "a freedom of creating."
Art is his ministry
Since finding his talent, Cochran's life has been consumed with art. He thinks about art "about all the time," he said. While he's admittedly a very fast painter -- it sometimes takes him only a couple of hours to complete a painting -- it's the initial, mental pre-planning of the work that takes him the most time.
"You have to think it out, so you're not just haphazardly doing things," he said.
"Art is everything to him. It affects every aspect of his life," said Bernice Wood, Cochran's partner of seven years, who is also an artist. Both keep studio space at Artists' Attic in Victorian Square.
"We enjoy doing things that involve art together," Cochran said about his relationship with Wood. "We've been to France, China, Japan, to California, all the way down the coast to galleries."
As Cochran quickly becomes an accomplished artist in his own right, his work is in high demand and has been featured at several local galleries, including Main Cross Gallery in Victorian Square, Gallery B on Walton Avenue and The Fayette Gallery on Richmond Road, among others.
"His use of vibrant color in his paintings is very energetic," said Jill Stofer, owner of Main Cross Gallery. "He's hilarious as a person, and I enjoy working with him on a personal level."
Cochran views his pathway to becoming an artist as "spiritually guided."
"It's a God-given talent. I believe that all credit should be given to the person who gave you the gift. God definitely has blessed me in my life. I don't feel that being deaf is a problem. I don't think, 'Poor, poor, pitiful me. ...' I don't think that at all. He's given me a good life," said Cochran, who attends Immanuel Baptist Church.
Though he's completed his art degrees, Cochran is continuing classwork at UK through the Religious Studies Department, taking courses in the Old and New Testament. He talks about his faith often with his good friend, John Rogers, a retired minister whom he met through exercise classes at the High Street YMCA. "Jack has an aura and an inner spirit of goodness, kindness and good will that is infectious. Invariably he makes people laugh and smile and feel better about themselves when he is present," Rogers said. "I believe Jack is earnestly seeking to understand just where and how God wants him to direct his future 'ministry' with art and sharing the Gospel."
From student to teacher
Tuesday evenings, Cochran can be found sharing his talents at the High Street YMCA, leading students in his oil painting class in creating their own masterpieces. Last spring, his first time teaching the class, he had six students. This fall, eight have enrolled.
When he first approached YMCA Art Director Dave Peterson about leading the class, Cochran was a bit apprehensive that students may be wary of studying with a deaf artist.
"I thought, 'They'll probably think there's going to be a problem,'" he said.
But that's not been the case, and communication so far has gone well. Cochran can read students' lips and respond if they have questions. When they need to get his attention, students wave their hands. Wood also accompanies to help with interpreting if needed.
Already, Cochran is planning to lead another eight-week session of the class later this fall.
"More than just being a good artist, he has a real passion for conveying his love of art, and that's what we look for in our instructors," Peterson said.
In 2000, Cochran received a cochlear implant, which has helped him hear some sounds. But he relies mostly on lip reading and signing for communication.
Still, he does not view his loss of hearing as a disability. "I don't consider my deafness a handicap at all," Cochran said. "There's no reason to."
TO LEARN MORE
Jack Cochran will lead an eight-week oil painting class at the High Street YMCA, 239 East High Street, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 8 through Dec. 18.
Cost is $65 for YMCA members and $85 for non-members.
Call (859) 254-9622 for more information or to register.
To view Cochran's work, visit Artists' Attic @ Victorian Square.
In Jack Cochran's home, art is everywhere. Paintings adorn the walls and several easels, and they sit stacked against anything that will prop them up, waiting to be taken to galleries for sale.
There are portraits, one a striking life-size image of a young, blond girl in a flowing yellow dress, a bouquet of spring flowers dangling from one hand.
There are landscapes, with scenes of Kentucky's horses and evening by a country pond. There are still lifes with silver goblets full of fruit that looks so real you'd swear you can taste it.
But it's the sculpture in the center of Cochran's living room that sets the theme for the space -- and for Cochran's life these days. The aluminum piece shows Cochran's likeness signing the words, "Deafness is fine."
The piece is a celebration of Cochran's life as a deaf man and as an artist, two identities he's passionately proud of -- and identities that, in his case, are inextricably tied together. If not for the one, he might never have become the other.
Finding art
Cochran, now 73, began losing his hearing in his mid-30s. He attributes his hearing loss partly to noisy work environments during his 20-year tenure as a tool and die welder with General Motors in Detroit, he said.
By his mid-fifties, Cochran had become completely deaf. He had to retire from his second career in real estate sales and went through a period of depression. Fighting to overcome his initial despair, Cochran assimilated into the deaf community, learning sign language as well as how to read lips. He prayed to God to send him a "gift" to help him deal with his hearing loss and enrich his retirement years.
"I prayed and focused on it," said Cochran, who moved to Lexington in 1993 to be closer to his daughter, Karen. He also has a daughter who lives in Nevada and a son living in Detroit.
"I didn't want to think just because I was in my 60s, I was just going to be on the shelf for the rest of my life," he said.
Gradually, the gift came in the form of Cochran's previously untapped artistic talent. It was through the Donovan Scholars program at the University of Kentucky, which allows anyone age 65 and older to take classes for free, that Cochran first began studying art.
Once he started taking art classes, he couldn't stop. He took painting. And sculpture. And printmaking. And ceramics. He took all the art courses he could, until his program advisers reminded him he had to take other subjects, too, to qualify for a degree.
The university provided him with sign language interpreters and note takers to assist him with his classes, and in May 2006, after seven years in the Donovan program, Cochran graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in studio art. He followed that up in May 2007 with a bachelor's in fine arts degree in art studio with an emphasis in sculpture.
He is thought to be the first deaf graduate in the Donovan Program's 43-year history, said assistant director Arlene Johnson.
Cochran credits his UK professors, particularly the late Ross Zirkle, with helping him break out of his initial analytical mode to find "a freedom of creating."
Art is his ministry
Since finding his talent, Cochran's life has been consumed with art. He thinks about art "about all the time," he said. While he's admittedly a very fast painter -- it sometimes takes him only a couple of hours to complete a painting -- it's the initial, mental pre-planning of the work that takes him the most time.
"You have to think it out, so you're not just haphazardly doing things," he said.
"Art is everything to him. It affects every aspect of his life," said Bernice Wood, Cochran's partner of seven years, who is also an artist. Both keep studio space at Artists' Attic in Victorian Square.
"We enjoy doing things that involve art together," Cochran said about his relationship with Wood. "We've been to France, China, Japan, to California, all the way down the coast to galleries."
As Cochran quickly becomes an accomplished artist in his own right, his work is in high demand and has been featured at several local galleries, including Main Cross Gallery in Victorian Square, Gallery B on Walton Avenue and The Fayette Gallery on Richmond Road, among others.
"His use of vibrant color in his paintings is very energetic," said Jill Stofer, owner of Main Cross Gallery. "He's hilarious as a person, and I enjoy working with him on a personal level."
Cochran views his pathway to becoming an artist as "spiritually guided."
"It's a God-given talent. I believe that all credit should be given to the person who gave you the gift. God definitely has blessed me in my life. I don't feel that being deaf is a problem. I don't think, 'Poor, poor, pitiful me. ...' I don't think that at all. He's given me a good life," said Cochran, who attends Immanuel Baptist Church.
Though he's completed his art degrees, Cochran is continuing classwork at UK through the Religious Studies Department, taking courses in the Old and New Testament. He talks about his faith often with his good friend, John Rogers, a retired minister whom he met through exercise classes at the High Street YMCA. "Jack has an aura and an inner spirit of goodness, kindness and good will that is infectious. Invariably he makes people laugh and smile and feel better about themselves when he is present," Rogers said. "I believe Jack is earnestly seeking to understand just where and how God wants him to direct his future 'ministry' with art and sharing the Gospel."
From student to teacher
Tuesday evenings, Cochran can be found sharing his talents at the High Street YMCA, leading students in his oil painting class in creating their own masterpieces. Last spring, his first time teaching the class, he had six students. This fall, eight have enrolled.
When he first approached YMCA Art Director Dave Peterson about leading the class, Cochran was a bit apprehensive that students may be wary of studying with a deaf artist.
"I thought, 'They'll probably think there's going to be a problem,'" he said.
But that's not been the case, and communication so far has gone well. Cochran can read students' lips and respond if they have questions. When they need to get his attention, students wave their hands. Wood also accompanies to help with interpreting if needed.
Already, Cochran is planning to lead another eight-week session of the class later this fall.
"More than just being a good artist, he has a real passion for conveying his love of art, and that's what we look for in our instructors," Peterson said.
In 2000, Cochran received a cochlear implant, which has helped him hear some sounds. But he relies mostly on lip reading and signing for communication.
Still, he does not view his loss of hearing as a disability. "I don't consider my deafness a handicap at all," Cochran said. "There's no reason to."
TO LEARN MORE
Jack Cochran will lead an eight-week oil painting class at the High Street YMCA, 239 East High Street, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 8 through Dec. 18.
Cost is $65 for YMCA members and $85 for non-members.
Call (859) 254-9622 for more information or to register.
To view Cochran's work, visit Artists' Attic @ Victorian Square.