1515 Lincoln Gallery invites you to experience the vibrant works of James Cobb in his exhibition Landscapes and Still-Life. His imaginative collection of landscapes and still-life paintings represents his intention not to create a narrative but to remain faithful to the subject. Cobb says, "I aspire to allow the viewer to write their own story. I don't paint to tell any story. I paint to bring beauty to the object or subject matter before me." His latest exhibition invites you to immerse yourself in the encounter with the lively scenes he creates. "I make no attempt to communicate a particular emotional response with oils and brushes," says Cobb. He wants the viewer to see his work and feel what comes naturally.
About James Cobb
James Cobb doodled in primary school during recess and was only introduced to fine art while dating his fiancé, now his wife of 50 years. She was studying art appreciation at an all-female college in Washington, DC, and she inspired Cobb to take local art lessons two decades later with his son. His son was completely disinterested, but the class immediately hooked him.
Cobb met his first accomplished artist, O. Gail Poole, with whom he shared a studio for the next fifteen years. During that time, his peers advised him to seek out the best artists he could find and enroll in any workshops they offered. Cobb found those instructors at The Chicago Arts Institute and the Art Students League in NYC. He is forever grateful for the advice he received that directed him toward the tutorial route versus enrolling in college classes.
Cobb has been a full-time working artist for the last 25 years. He includes anyone interested in joining him at his Norman, Oklahoma studio every Friday for life drawing/painting from the live model. He believes that group painting inspires everyone to learn from each other no matter their level of competence. Cobb has won every award in the category of oil painting (including 'best of show') in the only national juried competition held in Oklahoma. He has primarily shown his art in galleries on the storied Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has had numerous one-person shows locally and in Taos, New Mexico. Other exhibits have been at the request of the Oklahoma Arts Council in the Governor's Gallery of the State Capitol and multiple solo shows at the invitation of the Norman Arts Council.
Over the last 20 years, Cobb has maintained a studio in Norman, Oklahoma, and Taos, New Mexico. He loves teaching art and has done so as a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the Firehouse Arts Center in Norman, and privately in his studio. As with his instruction, he teaches representational art and fully embraces abstractions and impressionism, which always add appeal to any painting. Materials of choice from the beginning of his art life have been painting with oil and drawing with charcoal mixed with chalk and Conté pencils. Additionally, he has never limited his subject matter to a narrow choice of genres. His work primarily includes commissioned portraits and the weekly figure work.
Please visit our website to learn more about James Cobb and his work.
