“Wish You Were Here depicts my mother-in-law who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease during the time my wife and I were caregiving. After preparing her for the day ahead, she sits quietly in our living room in our old apartment, which doubled as her bedroom. The morning light illuminates the room bringing in a feeling of optimism to the day ahead. The purpose of the painting was simple: to capture this moment before she completely faded away. I think about the time and how we were faced with challenges which defined and changed our lives. What the mind can’t remember, the heart never forgets.”

Kim Cogan is a Korean-born, American painter residing and working in San Francisco, CA. His work explores the boundaries between realism and memory. His rooftop panoramas, composed city scenes, and impressionistic figures are grounded in explorations of place and characterized by an atmospheric intentionality. By using light, color, and contrast, he exploits paint’s tactile form to create a mood and convey emotional depth. Cogan’s work captures the passage of time and vanishing landscapes, the relationship between structured and natural forms, and the iconography of our memories.

Kim Cogan is an award-winning artist who has exhibited his paintings to great acclaim nationwide. His work has appeared in ARTnews Magazine, ART FORUM, the San Francisco Chronicle, American Arts Quarterly, Harper’s Magazine, Playboy, and American Art Collector Magazine.