THE CJM IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED. SUPPORT US DURING OUR TRANSITION, SIGN UP FOR UPDATES, OR RENT THE MUSEUM FOR YOUR EVENT

The Four Questions is a monthly series of short-form interviews in which we catch up with an artist we've previously gotten to know through their work at The CJM. This month, hear from Randy Colosky, an interdisciplinary artist working in both established and unorthodox materials and processes whose practice is informed by history, science, and curiosity about nature and how its elements interact. Colosky’s artwork was exhibited in The CJM’s 2015 exhibition Tzedakah Box, and reimagined this Jewish ritual object through new shapes and materials.

The Four Questions

Q: What does The CJM mean to you?

A: Museums are a refuge for me. I grew up in New Jersey, and as a teenager in the 80s I was already very attracted to art, and especially pottery. I would take the N.J. transit trains to New York City and then try and find my way from Penn Station to the myriad of museums and galleries all over the city. It was another world to walk around these spaces looking at art and trying to understand with my limited art knowledge why these artists made these works. Having a museum like The CJM that holds space for Jewish artists and their stories, as well as being inclusive to the Bay area art community, is an amazing mission.

Q: What is a project you're working on now that you're excited about?

A: The last few years, I’ve made a shift to pull back from doing public works and get back into a studio practice. After a couple tough years of fumbling around trying to find a new voice, I ended up going back to my roots of ceramics for inspiration. I have always had an affinity for Asian Blue and White Cobalt painted ceramics and decided to incorporate this more narrative aesthetic into my work. I’m developing new painting techniques that stylistically emulate these blue and white works, and this painting format offers me the opportunity to incorporate images from a range of history and interests as well as utilizing abstract painting techniques to create a contemplative tension between the recognizable parts of the works and the amorphous nature of abstraction.

Q: Where/how do you find inspiration?

A: I’ve always been motivated to find ways to stretch the language of contemporary art by finding materials or processes that might not necessarily be utilized for art making and then incorporate them into my practice. The refrigeration/ice works I make are a clear example of this. With that said, in 2022 I had the opportunity to do a book cataloguing thirty years of my art practice. Going through that history inspired me to find a format to reincorporate aspects of my past into new works. There is a certain personal density to working with past ideas and bringing them together to create something new.

Q: What is your favorite Jewish food or tradition?

A: I associate the Jewish food I love with specific places, like, the pastrami sandwich from Katz’s Deli in NYC, or latkes at Cantor’s Deli in L.A.

About the Artist
Randy Colosky
Randy Colosky

Randy Colosky is an interdisciplinary artist working in both established and unorthodox materials and processes. Ranging from traditional oil painting to frozen installations, his divergent practice is informed by history, science, and insatiable curiosity about nature and how its elements interact. Colosky received a BFA in Ceramics from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1987. He has been awarded grants from the Warhol Foundation for the Arts, The Fleishacker Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, and KALA Art Institute. He has shown in many galleries and museums including The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, The Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco, and the Berkeley Art Museum in Berkeley. He has public art projects placed in Laguna Beach, CA, Oakland, CA, San Francisco, CA, Livermore, CA, San Bruno, CA, and Santa Rosa, CA. His work is in several collections including at The Berkeley Art Museum, Facebook Inc, Sonoma State University, Ronert Park, CA, The Battery, San Francisco, CA. Alameda Municipal Art Collection, Oakland, CA, and Ellie Mae Financial Services.