When Albanian born Josef Kote was growing up he was always drawing and being a fine artist. By the age of 13 Kote had made up his mind to become an artist so once that decision was made his focus was on making that happen. When Josef Kote was in high school he applied and was accepted into the finest art school in Albania, he also competed locally and nationally in art shows, he was awarded a spot at the coveted “National Lyceum of Art” in Tirana.

Josef was accepted into the “Academy of Fine Arts” of Tirana in 1984 where he was educated in the techniques of the masters of fine art and the traditional approach they used to create works that we know and love today. As most artists do they have their own style and once they learn these techniques they want to break loose and do what comes naturally to them. Josef wanted to explore, experiment and grow, he wanted to paint with no boundaries and we can see that in his paintings today. The vibrant colors and layers of paint that reveal emotions hidden and revealed in each piece.

His trademark ‘s are bold brushstrokes, such as reflected in Josef Kote’s piece Beyond the Fall, that sweep across the canvas, the texture comes from the pallet knife breaking over the art canvas as the paint is applied and as you look you notice some parts of the canvas have not even been touched creating negative space that lets your eyes drift away and then come back to rest.

When you view one of Josef Kote art, his use of color and light are music to the eyes, such as reflected in Kote’s Unexpected Light. Their composition is romantic, stunning and calming. His years of experimenting show with edgy colors and thick pallet knife texture, he adds elements of the masters and then uses abstract elements, fusing them all together with drips of paint to create shadow and light drawing us into the piece.

Josef Kote art has always been influenced by the places he has lived and In 2009 Josef moved to New York and his art is now influenced by the city he lives in, the architecture, the people and the life he lives in New York can all be seen in his latest works of fine art. Each painting is a snapshot captured in time with his masterful and practiced hand.