Randy Cole
Representing Business

Randy Cole brings more than four decades of experience at the intersection of art, design, and business to the Clark County Arts Commission.

Trained through an eight-year apprenticeship in design, print production, typography, and marketing in Munich, Germany, Randy went on to become a partner in a design firm within a consortium that included Germany’s largest direct marketing company and one of its leading printers. Over 20 years in Europe, he developed more than 100 music books for the Bavarian school system and produced titles for world-renowned publishers.

Returning to the Pacific Northwest, he managed Columbia Sportswear’s global online presence for more than ten years, led digital marketing for a billion-dollar regional automotive company, earned automotive industry awards for cutting edge marketing practices, and was invited to help shape the early user experience of the Auto Trader platform.

As a painter, Randy was the top-selling artist at the Camas Gallery for five years running, winning First Place in the Camas Plein Air Contest and has sold more than 100 works in Portland and Camas. He currently has over 20 paintings on display in public venues across Portland and Vancouver, and his First Friday show at the Indigo Hotel on the Vancouver waterfront set the hotel’s record for paintings sold in a four-hour event — proof of what local art can do for a local business.

Before joining the Commission, Randy supported its marketing and website. He is now building an AI-driven interactive map of Clark County’s arts resources, making it easy for residents, visitors, and businesses to connect directly with local artists, venues, and events.

As Commissioner, his focus is to partner with local businesses to bring art into their spaces, draw traffic to art venues, and strengthen Clark County’s creative economy — while opening doors for the next generation of artists.

Randy lives in Ridgefield with his wife Christy and Kola, their rescue dog from LA, California (no longer sporting tattoos or packing heat), and is a member of the Ridgefield Art Association and the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts. His work is available at www.ColePaintings.com.