This quote by Matisse sums up my current approach to painting. The way paint is applied, the use of color, the play between simple objects in a composition or between a foreground and background can provide plenty of opportunity to create a desired feeling and response in a viewer.

My current body of work consists of large expressionistic oils on canvas. They are colorful, vibrant, painterly renderings of the foliage and flowers of New Orleans. I apply the paint quickly over a few sessions with broad strokes and purposeful drips and splashes of turpentine. I frequently go through the layers of paint by scratching the images and composition into the top layer. The scratching adds the strong linear element of drawing that brings the viewer’s eye back to the surface of the canvas from the depths of the color and shadow. I enjoy adding detail through scratching, much the same way that Matisse built detail and patterns into his paintings through scratching. My painting style is also influenced by artists Vincent Van Gogh, Alice Neel, Xenia Hausner, Sheep Jones and many other contemporaries.

My work is emotional and relationship-oriented. I have recently introduced poetry into my compositions. I layer my canvases with words, both scratched and painted, as well as other subtle imagery of windows, openings and boxes. I rely heavily on bold color choices to create moods and passion within the work.

I come from a family of artists. My mother taught oil painting in our house when I was a child. I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where I earned my BFA in painting from Towson University. I moved to New Orleans in 2005 to open an art gallery, MOXY Studios, with my partner Mare McCall. I now reside in Alexandria, VA just outside Washington, D.C.

Joan Cox



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				A painter can say everything he wants to say with something as simple as a flower. ~ Matisse

				This quote by Matisse sums up my current approach to painting. The way paint is applied, the use of color, the play between simple objects in a composition or between a foreground and background can provide plenty of opportunity to create a desired feeling and response in a viewer. My current body of work consists of large expressionistic oils on canvas. They are colorful, vibrant, painterly renderings of the foliage and flowers of New Orleans. I apply the paint quickly over a few sessions with broad strokes and purposeful drips and splashes of turpentine. I frequently go through the layers of paint by scratching the images and composition into the top layer. The scratching adds the strong linear element of drawing that brings the viewer’s eye back to the surface of the canvas from the depths of the color and shadow. I enjoy adding detail through scratching, much the same way that Matisse built detail and patterns into his paintings through scratching. My painting style is also influenced by artists Vincent Van Gogh, Alice Neel, Xenia Hausner, Sheep Jones and many other contemporaries. My work is emotional and relationship-oriented. I have recently introduced poetry into my compositions. I layer my canvases with words, both scratched and painted, as well as other subtle imagery of windows, openings and boxes. I rely heavily on bold color choices to create moods and passion within the work. I come from a family of artists. My mother taught oil painting in our house when I was a child. I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where I earned my BFA in painting from Towson University. I moved to New Orleans in 2005 to open an art gallery, MOXY Studios, with my partner Mare McCall. I now reside in Alexandria, VA just outside Washington, D.C. Joan Cox

			All images © Joan Cox 2008