Artist of sorts.
Yankee born. Rebel raised.
Julio Cotto is a self taught Puerto Rican multimedia artist, actor and writer originally from the Bronx, NY. At age six, he moved to the South, where he spent the next three decades. The award winning artist moved back to NYC on Christmas Eve 2011. From ages 15 to 23, Cotto inked and lettered several comic books for Bugged-Out Comics, painted carousel horses, illustrated greeting cards and worked as a graphic artist and sign painter in Greenville, SC. He moved to Charleston, SC in late '98 to work on his comics and begin painting.
Since 2001 Cotto has shown his works all over Charleston and the South East. The artist has participated in over one hundred shows over the past twelve years, including Charleston Contemporary 2010: Influence and all Kulture Klash Festivals. Julio has been voted 'Best Local Visual Artist' 2004, 2006 and 2008 by Charleston City Paper readers. In 2005 he received two Silver Addy Awards for his cover of Barfly magazine. In 2008 the artist moved back to Greenville to paint murals for Liquid Highway and to be with his family. A year later he moved back to Charleston to show new work and begin his acting career. He signed with Scoop Contemporary Studios July 2010 and Matthew Campbell Gallery, September of 2011. In 2013 Cotto will begin showing drawings and paintings at Graphite Gallery in New Orleans. His earlier work can be found at juliocotto.com.
Like visual arts, acting comes natural to Cotto. He started with a lead role in a music video and played an Iraqi Sniper in the Season 3 finale of 'Army Wives'. Julio has played major characters in the indie short, 'Butterflies Wake' and in the online web comic, 'Blood Rose'. The artist turned actor signed with Tout talent in 2010. In 2011 Cotto starred in the short films, 'Duel' and 'Box Fan' and made his theatre debut in Sam Shepard's 'A Lie of the Mind'. He also played major and lead antagonistic roles in the Kickstarter film 'The Eternal Individual' and dramatic indie short 'My Sister Sam'. At the end of 'Army Wives' Season 5, Cotto played photo/stunt double to Drew Fuller. In 2012 he worked on several television programs and played a small principal role in Lifetime's upcoming Anna Nicole Smith movie. This year he will play lead in a big budget short thriller film that he is writing with an ABC producer. On the side, Julio is writing and illustrating a graphic novel. He also has several children's books, comic strip concepts, a play and a few other short films on the back burner. The highlight of the artist's career thus far, he states, is speaking at Pecha Kucha (Charleston). Bill Murray was in attendance.
Julio has donated his art and time to several charities, nonprofits and independent fundraisers including the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Hunger Hurts Greenville, Low Country Aids Services, Childhood Cancer Research, Camp Create, My Sister's House, Sidewalk Chalk and the SPCA. Cotto lives in Brooklyn with his dog, Clive.

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