In his art, Todd Kosharek contemplates life, exploring fundamental dynamics of memory, place, time and existential philosophy. Through his ongoing origami crane series, he considers the ancient Japanese prayer tradition of folding 1,000 canes. His meticulous treatment of this ritual raises important questions for the viewer: What is life? What is peace? What is my role in all of this? He embraces different philosophical tenants by pursuing distinct projects—peace, perception, history—all through his love for symbolism.

Raised in rural southern Wisconsin, Kosharek started painting at the age of 13, devoting himself to the art form ever since. After receiving a degree in Art History from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, he moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming were he lived, painted and exhibited in numerous group and solo shows for twenty years. Kosharek approaches his work by choosing a theme with deeper symbolic meaning and then seeks subject matter that further expands his understanding or questioning of that theme. This approach does not differ whether he is painting landscape or his origami crane paintings. After moving to Vermont with his wife and two sons, Kosharek found the change in atmosphere, rich coloring, and historical heritage brought forth an even greater level of love for symbolic language through painting.

Currently, in his origami crane paintings, his attention is focused on exploring the history of humanities various understandings of the word “love” and our ability to encompass it as a way of living.

His work lives in major private and public collections throughout the United States and Europe.

“What I love in painting, both as an artist and as a viewer, is the feeling I get from seeing something that was meticulously created by pigment and brush. I want to see time – time taken by the painter to think, feel and create – but also the element of time, as if the painting is not frozen as an image but will grow and change with me as a person as I grow and change.”