About the Artist

Cora is a self-taught artist specializing in portraiture. Her artistic journey began with a childhood passion for drawing, and has since evolved to encompass other mediums. Oil painting has emerged as her favorite because she enjoys the challenge of sculpting subjects solely through the use of color and value. Cora enjoys painting faces because, in addition to being canvases for emotion and thought, she believes they also convey a unique light that is specific to every individual. Her goal as an artist is to capture even a tiny glimpse of that spark, a fundamental piece of soul that is often lost in photographs. While her primary interest is portraiture, she also enjoys using the fluidity of watercolor to paint landscapes inspired by her travels.

Beyond art, Cora has always been interested in the natural world and driven by a strong curiosity to understand life on a cellular level. She spent many years pursuing a career in science and earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2023. Cora considers graduate school to have been the darkest period of her life, but the trials she encountered led her to seek solace in both her art and her faith in Jesus. Her time in research led to the identification of potential therapeutic treatments for multiple sclerosis and several types of breast and pediatric cancers. Cora is proud of what she accomplished during her time in biomedical research, but she is excited to see what she can achieve when she gives art her full attention as a career.

Once a proud city girl, Cora now thrives in the quiet, introspective atmosphere of rural Ohio where she shares a home with her loving husband and fiendish cat. 

Exhibitions:

Zanesville Museum of Art, 79th Ohio Annual Exhibition, Zanesville, OH — 2025

Zanesville Museum of Art, 78th Ohio Annual Exhibition, Zanesville, OH — 2024

To view scientific works, please visit:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=cora+petersen+or++cora+petersen-cherubini