Craving Art

BP Oil Spill Prompts New Art

2010-07-23T15:16:00.008-04:00

From the very first day that the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and began spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, I have felt completely sick to my stomach. Before I even saw the heartbreaking images of the brown pelicans struggling in the thick muck I was completely heartbroken and furious that this could happen. Then when day two and three and four and five of oil spewing into the Gulf continued, I couldn't believe the news. I couldn't even comprehend the fact that they couldn't control the problem within a few days.

87 days later, BP finally "stopped" the gushing and I had already begun making a series of new paintings in response to my horror at the situation.

It can be extremely complicated to put all of the emotions and anger that I have into a piece of art so I had to brew on it for quite a while. I decided to approach it in the simplest way possible for me. I am in the process of creating an installation of 87 paintings depicting the many animals, fish, birds, crabs and other species that are suffering at the hands of BP. These are still in progress and a few images are shown here. You can see more on my website at joancoxart.com

New Figurative work and portraits

2010-03-05T10:26:00.005-05:00

I am working on a series of portraits in acrylic. Some of these are still in progress, but I thought I'd share and request any feedback anyone has for me. I am struggling to keep the fresh quick gestural applications of paint while still capturing the essence of the figure and the emotions just under the surface of each one. I am finding myself getting caught up in painting tight details. Looking forward to the warmer weather coming so I can make faster progress on these and some new works. The cold winter months are slowing down my painting in the garage.

Lots of Photos from Austria posted on Facebook

2009-08-02T07:28:00.002-04:00

Due to several technical difficulties and lack of wifi here in the mountains of Austria, I have found it easiest to post photos to Facebook directly from my phone. I have made my photo album on Facebook viewable to all...even if you don't have a Facebook account.

Please go to this link to see photos with captions from the first week of my trip so far!

24 hours in Vienna

2009-08-02T06:48:00.003-04:00

After a rather easy flight from the U.S through Munich and in to Vienna, I pushed and pulled all of my luggage into a very small but quaint room at Pension Pertschy in Vienna just a block from the Hofberg Palace. After a short one hour nap and some fussing with my iphone and internet signals and electric converters that wouldn't work, I finally stumbled out in the sunny streets feeling tired and exhilarated at the same time.

There were horse drawn carriages clopping by every few minutes and beautiful sculptures and architecture looming overhead in every direction. I followed a very simple path straight to the MuseumsQuartier Wien and bought my ticket for entrance into all three very contemporary looking museums located together on a big plaza with outdoor cafes and enormous modern plastic seating structures.

The Leopold Museum was having an exhibit of Egon Schiele's paintings and drawings. I hadn't realized that he was Austrian and also that he had died at only 28 yrs old with the flu. He made quite a few paintings in his short time that are very expressive and personal. I have a new found love for his work and was very inspired by his freedom on the page. There were other great works in this museum including a Klimt and other expressionistic works. The Cy Twombly exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK) was sadly less inspiring.

Savannah, Georgia: Fried Chicken, Iced Tea and Paintings

2009-07-17T08:26:00.009-04:00

Fountain in Forsyth Park...just one of 21 beautiful parks in downtown Savannah

Scooters in Savannah...inspiration for a new painting

We took a brief vacation in Savannah, Georgia over the fourth of July where the moss hangs thick from the live oak trees and where the fried chicken is as good as it gets. Since it is the middle of summer, all the art students from SCAD seemed to be scattered out of town. Most of the art I readily found was tourist junk. I did, finally, stumble across one painter whose work was hanging in a nice home decor shop called One Fish, Two Fish...while we waited for an hour for the best fried chicken outside of Mrs. Wilkes on the humid street corner.

Knowing Home by Wendy Lea Martin

The artist, Wendy Lea Martin, paints on panel with a wonderful mix of abstraction and imagism. The painting I loved best was a horse with a bird, titled "Knowing Home". You can see more of her work on her blog.

Fourth of July celebrations

Neighborhood in Historic District

2009-06-29T16:54:00.004-04:00

The "Scooter Parking Only" reception was a great party! Thanks to all of you who came down to Fort Avenue. And thanks to Gallery 211 for hanging the work so beautifully and putting on a great reception. The paintings really pop in this space. The opposing brick wall and white wall create a great dynamic for the 15 paintings.

If you get a chance, stop in to see the show. The gallery is open on Saturdays from 2 - 7 p.m. so you can drop in on your way to grab a bite in Federal Hill. The gallery is located just around the corner from School 33 Art Center.

Art Opening Tonight at Gallery 211!

2009-06-26T11:31:00.003-04:00

SCOOTER PARKING ONLY opens tonight from 6-10 at Gallery 211 in Federal Hill! I am super excited to have my paintings hung in this great little gallery on Fort Ave. There are 15 paintings in total. Most are acrylic and some are acrylic with oil on top.

I had so much fun painting these last summer. I was inspired by riding my own little 50cc scooter around Alexandria. I treated the scooters in the paintings like figures: putting them in groupings, posing them like portraits and capturing moods in bright colors.

Hope you get a chance to see the show at the gallery between now and August 29, 2009...or just go to my website to see the rest. The one pictured here is the final painting in the series and isn't on my web site yet.

AHS River Farm on the Potomac

2009-06-16T09:17:00.004-04:00

Most who live in the Alexandria and DC area have never heard of River Farm. It is a piece of property that once belonged to George Washington on the Potomac. It is located about midway between Old Town and Washington's historic home at Mt. Vernon along the GW Parkway. It is a gorgeous garden property now owned by the American Horticultural Society. It is open to the public during the week and generally booked for weddings on the weekend. Last Sunday I exhibited my artwork under a tent on the flagstone patio of the main house for their first annual Community Green event. It was a beautiful setting and gorgeous weather. You really should pack a picnic or your paintbrushes and head there for an afternoon.

The Art Party was a Great Success!

2009-06-16T08:42:00.006-04:00

The team at HDN Studio threw a great art party on June 11 at the Padova house in Alexandria, VA. The rain held off and we had a good turnout of art lovers and art buyers. I painted a few new pieces just in time for this event including sunflowers and raspberries inspired by the local Old Town Saturday market. I think this might become an Annual pARTy!

Getting prepped for my first HOUSE ART PARTY

2009-06-05T17:21:00.004-04:00

Summer is just rolling out with art events, one after another, in the month of June. I am putting the final touches on new paintings of sunflowers, raspberries and scooters and revisiting a few older paintings in preparation for my first HOUSE ART PARTY. On Thursday, June 11, I will be filling up every room of Fulvio and Stacey Padova's home in Alexandria, Virginia with art! I work with Stacey at HDN Studio — a small women-owned graphic design studio in Old Town. All of the HDN designers will be in attendance as well as many HDN clients I've never met in person. Should be a great way to kick off the summer! Look for photos from the event on my blog next week.

Going to Austria!

2009-04-15T18:47:00.004-04:00

Painting by Xenia Hausner

I will soon be packing my bags for three weeks of daily painting in a very small lake town in Austria. O.k., well not soon, but this summer. I am turning 40 this year. . .a milestone for sure. . .and have been trying to determine what to do to create a memorable final year in my 30's. Mare has been saving her hard earned cash for this moment. Thanks to her I will be taking a short sabbatical from my graphic design work at HDN Studio to study with an incredible Austrian painter, Xenia Hausner, at the Sommerakademie at Traunkirchen.