LA | Claire B. Cotts : Unfolding

(SANTA MONICA, CA) Nüart Gallery is pleased to present Unfolding, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Claire B. Cotts, on view from June 20 – July 11, 2026, with an opening reception and artist walkthrough on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 3:00–5:00 PM.

Claire B. Cotts: Unfolding
Nüart Gallery is pleased to present Unfolding, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Claire B. Cotts, on view at Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica.

Claire B. Cotts creates layered compositions that balance geometric structure with intuitive mark-making. Rounded forms, vertical passages, and recurring motifs move across the picture plane, creating relationships between shapes of varying solidity and openness. Built through successive layers of paint, scraping, drawing, and revision, the surfaces retain evidence of their making, allowing the paintings to unfold through color, texture, and rhythm.

While the work is rooted in abstraction, many of the forms are informed by observations of the natural world and the body. References to breath, pulse, water, landscape, and shifting light are transformed into visual structures rather than direct representations. Areas of luminosity emerge alongside darker passages, creating a dynamic interplay of weight and balance that generates subtle spatial tensions. Throughout the work, light functions as an organizing principle, shaping the viewer’s experience of perception and space.

Cotts’ paintings reveal a practice grounded equally in intuition and structure. Their layered surfaces and evolving forms reflect an ongoing engagement with process, where composition emerges through sustained attention, revision, and discovery.

Claire B. Cotts received her MFA from the University of California, Berkeley, and her BFA from Oberlin College. A recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, she spent a year living and working in Turkey. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is included in numerous public and private collections. Cotts lives and works in Berkeley, California.

EXHIBITION INFORMATION

UNFOLDING

Claire B. Cotts
June 20 – July 11, 2026

Opening Reception & Artist Walkthrough
Saturday, June 20, 2026 | 3:00–5:00 PM

Nüart Gallery
Bergamot Station Arts Center
2525 Michigan Avenue, Suite B4
Santa Monica, CA 90404

Gallery Hours
Tuesday–Saturday | 11:00 AM–5:00 PM

Media Contact
Diana Cignoni
(424) 900-3888
fineartla@nuartgallery.com