Artist Bio
Deborah Kotchen returned to painting after a long career in public relations and marketing. Her
focus on New England landscapes, seascapes and boats as subject matter is derived from a
passion for sailing and the outdoors. Kotchen often combines the use of palette knife with brush
stroke. Primary mediums are oil on canvas, board or cork.
Kotchen’s work has been presented in Connecticut and Rhode island at the CT Academy of Fine Arts,
Lyme Association, Mystic Art Museum, Maple and Main Gallery, Artist Gallery of Westerly, Watch Hill
Art Show, Town & County Club, Four Star Gallery, Noah's, La Grua Center, Lords Hill and Noank
Exhibitions. Formerly, her work was exhibited at the West Hartford Art League and the Wethersfield
Art League. A graduate of Boston University, she received early art training with Hudson Valley
artist May Palmer Hawkins.
Kotchen is an Honorary Docent at the Wadsworth Atheneum museum and was a member of its Board
of Electors and marketing committee. Professionally, she was President of The Kotchen Group, a
national Public Relations firm and recipient of over twenty Mercury awards in Media Relations and
Creative Tactics from the Public Relations Society of America.
Prior to forming her own agency, she was Marketing Director for Women’s Specialty Retailing Group,
Aetna Property Services, Hartford Civic Center, and Director of Public Relations & Special Events for
G. Fox & Co. department stores, New England. Kotchen also founded Designs Ltd, a national
distributor of patented frames and accessories for the arts & craft industry. She resides in Stonington
on the Connecticut shoreline.
[email protected]