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Claudia "Cotrutza" French
cotrutza@gmail.com
www.cotrutza.com
Born in 1956 in Brasov, (Transylvania) Romania, Claudia Cotruta was a precocious youngster with remarkable abilities in the arts as a small child. She began taking private lessons at 7 years of age, learning first how to draw in graphite and charcoals and then progressing to water colors. Her teachers and family were amazed by her rapid ability to create clear, precise concepts with deft strokes of pen, pencil and color. After finishing high school, her well-recognized artistic gifts earned her a place at the Arts Academy in Brasov where she studied drawing, painting, tapestry, textile, composition, sculpture, aesthetics, manual drafting and history of art. During her years there, her work was shown in several exhibitions. As a fine arts student, she also found time to write poetry, sing jazz with a students’ band and also become the “voice” of the Brasov Symphony. During concert seasons she was invited to MC the events due to her great diction and ability to communicate with the audiences.
After finishing her Bachelor degree in textile and tapestry, her dream was to further study the arts and attend the Arts University, but this never materialized.
Since her student days, Claudia has adopted the spelling “Cotrutza” of her name according to its pronunciation in Romanian.
Later, while working at different companies, Cotrutza was required to paint, among other things, political panoramas, slogans and signs. Like many of her fellow artists, she spent her own time painting and creating tapestries in a freer, more cutting edge style. Her studies and compositions in charcoal, from back then, revealed her own perceptions of Romanian society. Coming in contact with many other artists, she also managed to learn some of the techniques employed in the restoration of icons and other mural paintings.
It was not long after she began her professional life that Cotrutza’s parents were granted visas to leave Romania for the U. S. This was a time of unrest and uncertainty as the communist government was desperately trying to hold itself together. Three years later Cotrutza followed them and moved to the Los Angeles area. Sadly, all her art works were seized at her leaving.
In California Cotrutza became involved in the fashion world, representing the major designers for Spanish owned Harris Department Stores. After some years, Cotrutza left the world of runways and fashion shows to study computer-aided design. She embarked upon a series of paintings, portraits, collages, and icons while supporting herself as a designer for architects and engineers alike.
Cotrutza has exhibited at Studio Gallery in Irvine, in Bistango Galleries and Restaurant in Irvine and La Jolla, at St Paul Episcopal Church in Pomona and at LA Art Walk. Her icons also enjoy popularity in Southland churches. Her artwork can be found in numerous private collections.
She has opened the “Cotrutza Gallery” on Main St., in Downtown Los Angeles, in order to show her own art on a long term basis and promote the art of other local artists she appreciates.
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* None of the artworks may be copied or reproduced without the written permission of the Artist