It started with a ballpoint pen and a girl with beautiful long hair
By Mindy Toran
For five decades, a love for art and frankly each other has fueled the passion of Pitman-based artists Ruth and Jim “J.H.” Cottingham. From the moment they met in a drawing class at Millersville University – where they both were studying art education – they were destined to create beautiful portfolios together.
Jim recalls vividly the first time he laid eyes on Ruth. “When I went to my very first class in college on a Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., the professor asked us to draw anything in the room using a ball point pen, so it couldn’t be erased. I looked across the room and saw this girl sitting at her easel with beautiful long hair, so I drew her,” says Jim. “Fifty years later, we’re still creating art together and loving every minute.”
After graduating from Millersville, both with a bachelor’s degree in art education, Jim and Ruth went on to careers teaching art, eventually getting married and raising a family of seven children, all the while continuing their own artistic endeavors.
With a background as an oil painter, Jim mainly works with oil pastels and oil stick, adding graphite or colored pencil for effect. He frequently commissions paintings of cars and enjoys painting abstracts and portraits. Ruth does mainly mixed media paintings, including watercolors and graphite. She enjoys abstract work and loves to do paintings of people and nature.
“We learned early on how to coexist as artists,” says Ruth. “We offer each other advice and critiques but have always honored each other’s space.” And both share a profound love of teaching and inspiring others’ creative abilities.
“We started teaching in our own home more than 25 years ago,” says Ruth. “At the time we were home schooling our kids and decided if we wanted them to learn art, we needed to have an official class, so we started offering some classes in our home. We had a very large house that we designed and built ourselves and could teach 14 to 16 kids at a time. The classes became very popular in our community and led to the creation of our teaching studio, Soli Deo Arts.”
While they consider themselves retired now, Ruth and Jim have never stopped teaching. They downsized their home and moved to Pitman about six years ago, after falling in love with the town when they were driving through one day.
“We loved the downtown area and were excited to find the Pitman Gallery & Art Center, where Jim eventually volunteered and we showcased some of our artwork, before it closed down during the pandemic,” says Ruth. “This is our dream, and we’re happy to be able to share our love of art and teaching with the Pitman community. I feel like we’re especially filling a need for the children.”
The Cottinghams offer classes, workshops and summer camps for individuals of all ages and skill levels, with Ruth teaching primarily elementary and middle school-aged children and Jim teaching high school students and adults. Classes include drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking.
In addition to hands-on learning, the Cottinghams teach students the elements of art and principles of design, along with techniques to develop and improve their creative skills. They also encourage art appreciation and incorporate art history into their lessons.
“It’s great when you’re able to share your passion and ignite it in somebody else,” says Jim. “I love seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when we take a picture of them holding their own artwork, and the excitement of the parents when they see what their children have created. It brings joy to both of us when we’re able to teach students and see how they can grab hold of an idea and learn to express it in art.”
Adds Ruth, “Art should be enjoyable as well as a learning experience. We try to help children learn and understand using words and vocabulary that relate to art, as well as having fun. Helping students with the creative process, finding their self-expression, building their self-esteem and self-confidence is so rewarding.”
For more information on Soli Deo Arts or the Cottingham’s artwork, visit www.SoliDeoArts.com or jhcottingham.com.
