Getting to Know the Artists in The Landings

By Marie-Louise McHugh

If you have had a chance to attend The Landings Boulevard Driveway Band performances on Monday late afternoons, you are likely already familiar with Michael Cohen. He is the guitar player and occasional singer, too.

While organizing The Landings Art show earlier this year, Michael asked to be included as a photographer. The more I heard about him the more curious I became about this multi- talented artist.

I recently visited him at the home he shares with his wife Jayne Wallace here at The Landings. His fine art photography work is impressive. His background as a graphic designer permeates throughout all his work, from black and white to color images. His play with light and shadows, as well as composition, remind me of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s and Brassai’s work (both well-known photographers active in Paris in the early to mid-20th Century).

When Michael was 15 years old, he moved from Atlanta, GA to Sarasota. At that time, he already started showing his photographs at the Sarasota Art Center. After graduating from the University of Florida in Art and Advertising, he moved to New York City and New Jersey. There he worked in marketing and with various well-known studio-artists.

Michael started exploring what light does around old buildings in the city. Other aspects of his work from this period are black and white surrealistic images. This is also when he became involved with R&B, Blues and Soul music as a guitar, bass, and keyboard player. This evolved into creating the classic rock “Hard Bargain Band” with which he played and performed for 13 years in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Michael also received national and international attention with his “Tom Petty Tribute Band”.

After living for three years on Lido Beach, Michael and Jayne moved to The Landings two years ago. They are now full-time residents. Michael still works in graphic design and photo restoration. You can find out more about his work on his website: michaelcohenimages.com.

Back to music, playing on Monday evenings at The Landings is just a fun thing for Michael to participate in. He performs more formally with his band “Kat Crosby and the Rhythm Gators”. I was fortunate to catch one of their performances last month at Fogartyville. What a great concert this was! The band plays regularly in Bradenton and Tampa. For more information about their performances, you can follow the band on Facebook.