Rising Stars: Meet AvRaam Cohen of Great Neck, NY

Today we’d like to introduce you to AvRaam Cohen.

Hi AvRaam, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born in 1968 in Tel Aviv, Israel, where I grew up surrounded by a mix of history, energy, and everyday creativity that still influences me. From early on, I was drawn to making things, tinkering, building, seeing how materials could tell a story. That led me to study industrial design first in Holon, Israel, then in Brooklyn, New York. During my Master’s at Pratt Institute, I had the incredible chance to work in Gaetano Pesce’s studio. He taught me cold casting techniques and, more importantly, to treat materials as storytellers rather than just functional stuff. That mindset shifted everything for me.
After graduating, I dove into the professional world and in 1998 founded Vertex Product Development Inc. in Great Neck, New York, my design and engineering firm where I’ve spent decades turning client ideas into real, manufacturable products. It was rigorous, rewarding work: prototyping, problem-solving, bringing concepts to life under tight deadlines. But art was always there in the background, waiting. Over the years, that creative fire got rekindled, I started experimenting again with sculpting, casting, and free-form modeling, blending the precision from my design career with the freedom of fine art.
Today, I create wall-mounted modern sculptures, vibrant, layered pieces that play with color, light, and form to evoke emotion and new perspectives. My time with Pesce, years of hands-on making at Vertex, and a lifelong respect for craftsmanship all come together in the studio. It’s been a natural evolution: from Tel Aviv kid to industrial designer to full-time artist. I still run Vertex, but now the balance feels right, engineering by day, sculpting by night, always pushing boundaries and aiming to spark something in the viewer. It’s not a straight line, but it’s mine

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, it hasn’t been a completely smooth road, few meaningful paths are. The journey from industrial design student to running a product development firm and then reigniting my passion for sculpture involved real challenges, but they’ve all shaped who I am as an artist today.
Early on, studying in Holon and then at Pratt in Brooklyn was intense, moving countries, adapting to new cultures, and diving deep into rigorous design training. Working in Gaetano Pesce’s studio was transformative, but it came with the pressure of learning advanced techniques like cold casting on the fly, experimenting with unpredictable materials, and delivering under high expectations. Those years taught me resilience through trial and error; many prototypes failed spectacularly before anything worked.
Founding Vertex Product Development in 1998 brought its own set of hurdles. Building a business from scratch meant long hours, managing clients with tight deadlines and budgets, solving complex engineering problems, and navigating the uncertainties of entrepreneurship, cash flow issues, competition, and the constant need to innovate just to stay relevant. It was demanding, disciplined work that demanded precision and left little room for pure creative freedom. There were times when the “maker” side of me felt sidelined by the practical demands of running a company.
The biggest shift, and perhaps the toughest, was rekindling art after years focused on client-driven product design. It wasn’t an overnight switch; it required carving out time after exhausting days, experimenting late into the night, and accepting that artistic work doesn’t always follow the same logical rules as engineering. Embracing failure became key, pieces that didn’t come together, ideas that fell flat, the risk of putting personal expression out there after decades of “purpose-driven” creation. Balancing the structure of Vertex with the open-ended exploration of sculpture has been ongoing; it’s rewarding but requires constant discipline to protect creative space amid business responsibilities.
That said, these struggles have been fuel. The precision from design strengthens my sculpting; the business grit keeps me grounded; and every setback has pushed me to experiment more boldly with color, light, and form. Today, creating wall-mounted pieces that blend narrative, emotion, and craftsmanship feels earned, not handed over easily

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work consists of wall-mounted and stand alone modern sculptures, bold, layered pieces that combine figurative elements with abstract depth. They hang like paintings but bring real presence through texture, form, and how they interact with light. I specialize in techniques like cold casting and urethane, which I first mastered during my time at Pratt Institute while working in Gaetano Pesce’s studio. That foundation lets me experiment with materials as active storytellers, blending precise industrial processes from my design background with freer, expressive modeling.

Many pieces are tributes to figures who’ve left a mark on culture or thought: John Lennon in “Imagine That,” Albert Einstein in “The Pipe,” David Bowie as “Starman,” Lenny Kravitz in “Gonna Go My Way,” Bob Dylan in “Forever,” or a contemporary reimagining like “The King.” Others explore more personal or universal themes, resilience in “Spiral of Resilience” (drawing from historical Jewish struggle), the passage of time and memory in “Brain in Time,” imperfect love in “No Perfect Love,” classic interpretation in “Meditate,” “The Stare,” “Modesty,” or “Ophelia.” Color plays a major role; it helps set the emotional tone right away, whether through vibrant energy or subtle shifts.

I’m known for how these sculptures change depending on viewing distance and light, they read clearly and impactfully from afar, but close up reveal intricate details, hidden layers, and nuances that unfold slowly, almost like discovering more about a person over time.

What means the most to me is how this path has come full circle: merging decades of hands-on product development at Vertex, solving real problems under constraints, with the freedom to create purely from observation and feeling. Having work shown at places like ArtExpo NYC, Spectrum Miami, and Agora Gallery exhibitions (including recent ones like “Beyond the Booth” and “The Devil’s Palette”), and featured in Art Market Magazine, has been a quiet validation of that shift. Pieces like “Brain in Time,” which came from watching my father’s experience with Alzheimer’s, hold special weight for me, it turned something deeply personal into a form others could connect with.

What sets my approach apart is the no-nonsense maker’s perspective: I focus on craftsmanship and honest storytelling over trends. The industrial precision keeps things technically solid, while the artistic side allows raw emotion and experimentation. In a world that moves fast, I like that my work invites people to pause, look closer, and let the layers reveal themselves

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Since I’m a big history buff, especially around human history, the historical development of technology, and how it intersects with the human condition, I gravitate toward podcasts and books that explore those layers. They give me perspective on resilience, innovation, creativity, and what drives people through time, ideas that feed directly into my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.avraam.gallery
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/avraam_nyc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avraam.gallery
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vertexpd
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@avraamartwork

Image Credits:
AvRaam Cohen