CLAUDIA “COTRUTZA” FRENCH, Born in April 6th, 1956 in Brasov, (Transylvania) Romania, Cotrutza grew up a precocious youngster, with remarkable abilities in arts as a small child, taking private drawing tutoring with the Russian teacher Mrs. Berliba at only 7 years of age, when she first learned how to handle the water colors, and drawing in graphite. Amazing peers and teachers alike saw her quick pen, pencil and coloring ability to create clear concepts recognized by all. Known as “Claudia Cotruta” (hereafter spelled “Cotrutza” as pronounced in Romanian) by all who knew her since student days, this quick study raced through her schooling and was accepted into the Arts Academy in Brasov (writing some poetry, singing Jazz with students band), and being a showing student artist. While attending the Arts Academy, Cotrutza studied artistic drawing, painting, sketching, tapestry, textile, composition, sculpture, aesthetics, manual drafting, history of art, and became also the “voice” of the Brasov Symphony concerts due to her great diction and ability to MC the orchestra during the concerts for a few season, finishing her Bachelor degree in textile and tapestry. Her dream was to go study further the arts and attend the Arts University, but have never materialized. While working at different companies, Cotrutza was also painting political panoramas, and signs. However, she managed to get herself with some of her piers, and learned some the restoration of icons and other mural paintings. All the while, as with all her fellow artist, she was painting and creating tapestries in all the cutting edge styles along with executing quite a number of studies in charcoal, portraits and compositions in Romanian society.
It was not long after her brief professional beginnings in Romania that Cotrutza’s parents were granted visas to leave Romania for the U. S. as the communist government was desperately trying to hold itself together. Cotrutza followed them shortly (after 3 years) moving to the Los Angeles area. Sadly, all Cotrutza’s works were seized at her leaving.
In Cotrutza’s new California environment, she 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. Cotrutza embarked upon a series of paintings, portraits, collages, and icons while supporting herself as a designer for architects and engineers alike. Cotrutza’s works can be seen in private collections, they were showed by the Studio Gallery in Irvine, thank to curator Antoinette Sullivan, in Bistango galleries and Restaurant in Irvine and La Jolla, St Paul Episcopal Church in Pomona and at LA Art Walk. Her icons also enjoy popularity in southland churches and private collections. The opening of “Cotrutza Gallery” in Down Town Los Angeles, is a great venue for Cotrutza’s art work to be shown on a long term basis. The starting theme of her exhibit “Memories from my youth in Communist Romania” is bringing to the public a view of images that will educate and teach whoever is thirsty for learning of one’s life touched by unforgettable dictatorship and oppressive regime of Communist Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
