Blend Cota has painted it all, with an astonishing range of styles from simple study sketches to landscapes and nudes, to detailed realism and abstract installation. His love of art has taken him down many paths and fulfilled his artistic persona with a vast range of trades and experience. He always liked Picasso, his legacy of fearless creations, borderless shapes and bold blocks of colors.
Blend specializes in oil on canvas, mural paintings, and professional photography. For more than 13 years, he was the Art Director of Atelier America and Brushstrokes Fine Art, Inc., two of the largest art publishing/direct mail companies in North America. Blend studied at the Fine Arts Academy of Albania and after a long journey is now living in Toronto, Canada, working as the Creative Director for Thomas Kinkade Studios.
Blend has an immense passion for the outdoors. He enjoys nature in all its beauty, loves to hunt and fish, and often organizes outdoors trips with his family (wife Redina, daughters Kaid and Tess). During summer, there is a lot of camping, boating and gardening, and during the Canadian winter, ice fishing and family bonding. His main hobby is photography and for him every important moment, beautiful scene, or interesting trip must be caught on camera.
Blend is fascinated with history and geography resulting in an interesting book collection covering stories and facts from all over the world. He grew up in an atheist country where religion was prohibited but he is a strong believer of Christian values.
His positive and friendly personality makes him extremely social and he is always interested to talk to people and hear their stories. He is very close to family and friends, loyal and always willing to help. His late mother who suffered a longtime fight with Alzheimer’s, was always an inspiration for Blend. Her love and guidance are still with him to this day.