I first became smitten with Rob Cox’s work when I saw his oil paintings of the Bronze di Riace (Greek bronze warrior statues from the 5th Century BC found off the coast of Calabria in 1972) at Poesia Restaurant in San Francisco. Since then, Rob, his wife Suzanne and I have become friends and they have even joined a couple of my Italy tours over the years. A triptych study he did for a Tuscany landscape now graces my dining room in Miami.
This interview is part of a series. As an art-curator-turned-sommelier, it brings me great pleasure to share with you artists who are inspired by Italian wine, food, and culture. Other featured artists have included Jennifer Wilkin Penick, Diva Piyari, and James Pouliot.
Q: Hi Rob, Would you describe your art practice? What are the major subjects/ themes of your work? What qualities or ideas do you wish your works to imbue?
I am somewhat of an anachronism in the 21st Century in that I am an easel painter. I work in a studio that is an old US Navy building with no heat. I am a figurative painter, meaning that I paint what I see. Be that a model or a still life. I derive my style from the Bay Area Figurative Movement working in the lineage of painters like David Park and Elmer Bischoff.
My intent is to describe the figure and form using color, tone and line. To give volume to the two dimensional surface and presence to the image.
Q: What materials do you use to make your work?
Primarily I use oil paints on canvas using brushes and palette knives. I also work with charcoal and graphite on paper and have worked in several different print making mediums.
Q: What has surprised or inspired you about your travels in Italy?
What hasn’t!? Italy was the heart of the Renaissance. And although the museums are rich with inspiration, such was Botticelli and Brancusi the art there isn’t isolated in museums. You find art on every street and in every piazza. Ancient ruins can be seen alongside modern architecture. Traditions live seamlessly alongside new practices and ideas.
Q: What are you currently working on/ what’s coming up next for you?
I have been on a hiatus due to shoulder surgery. However I am back in the studio now working on several canvases. These are paintings of people that I have recorded in drawings and/or photos from my recent trip to Mexico. The current painting is of two women sitting in beach chairs at the edge of the shoreline. I am hoping to put together enough work to hang a solo show in a gallery. Local or otherwise.
Favorite Wine?
Oh, gosh! I’m spoiled living here in California. My go to wine in the cool/cold weather is a light red like a Pinot Noir. My Italian friends poke fun of me in the hot weather because I like a nice cold Frascati.
Oh, I agree with you there. So refreshing! What about your favorite region of Italy?
Southern Italy: Calabria, Puglia and Abruzzo. Most of these areas are thankfully not over run with tourists. And we have close friends who live there so we feel more like guests than tourists. I also love Rome and usually start my visits there.
It was a pleasure traveling with you to two of those! Is there something still on your bucket list?
A visit to Sardegna. I hear wonderful things. And in a perfect world, an art residency somewhere in Italy.
Is there someone or something for which you are grateful?
So much. My wife, our friends and families – and friends who are family. I’m grateful for having the opportunities to travel and experience so many different cultures, to learn about new ideas and to stay curious and open to the world.
How can people find you/ follow you?
My website is www.robcoxart.com. On Facebook: Rob Cox Art and Instagram: @robcoxart
