Herbert Cofman

I am an 83 year old man now living in the Veterans Home of California in Yountville. I have been involved in the arts since I was a student in the sixth grade when I won a contest for the best art work. I have a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Colorado. After graduation I developed an interest in geometric art having seen exhibitions of Op Art in New York and later in St. Louis where I created Op Art paintings on masonite panels using florescent spray paints. In 1964 my application for the Masters Program in fine art at the University of California in Berkeley was accepted. However, I did not continue my education there for personal reasons. Instead I found work as an architectural model maker in San Francisco during the expansion of high rise buildings in the late 60’s and early 70’s. during that time I received independent commissions to create art wall panels for a restaurant in New Orleans and a spa in Mill Valley Ca. In addition to my work as a model maker I also developed techniques to create geometric sculptures using parts cut from 3 inch thick plexiglas (Lucite), and assembled with colored dyes interspersed into the glue joints and machined into geometric shapes using a Bridgeport milling machine. The surfaces were then sanded and polished to reveal multiple inner and outer reflections. After I left the model shop I opened a custom furniture business where I created pieces of my won design for clients. Now I primarily concentrate on photography.