Cecilia Cox

I am drawn to serene compositions that explore the harmony of colors and textures and the juxtaposition of the natural world and the human-made. My goal is to create a defined sense of light and space to express the beauty of what I see and share that with the viewer.

I work from life in oil on linen. My studio is illuminated by north light, which I find especially beautiful for its softness. Setting up a still life may be completed quickly or take as long as a day. I usually have a concept in mind based on the objects and their color harmonies, but sometimes that concept evolves as I arrange the setup. I occasionally do a detailed charcoal drawing and then an oil transfer to the canvas if a subject is especially complicated, but I usually start the painting directly on the linen with an umber underpainting, lightly sketching in with brush and paint. I then thinly mass in the darks and middle tones and remove the lights with a cloth, creating a fairly complete but somewhat lighter value range called a brunaille.

After allowing that to dry, I move on to thin applications of paint to establish overall color, with additional sessions in thicker paint to model form and further establish the all-important sense of light. I often use further thin applications of transparent colors, called glazing, to complete the painting.

There are as many valid ways to execute a painting as there are artists (in theory). For me, using traditional techniques and working from life is the most fulfilling and enjoyable way to create my vision. I love how north light varies—showing greater contrast in the late afternoon, giving colors a warmer look on bright overcast days, and cooler tones under a blue sky—and I often incorporate these subtle variations. I am always grateful after a day in the studio.

Cecelia Cox studied art briefly at the Atlanta College of Art but found the emphasis on commercial and conceptual art wanting. A year living in Brussels, with visits to many major European museums, had a much greater impact on her growth as an artist. While raising two children, she continued her study of art through workshops and classes with many notable artists. She attended open figure drawing sessions held at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga for many years.

Upon moving to Greensboro, NC, in 2006, Cecelia was fortunate to be invited to join a talented group of local artists who met regularly at the studio of Scott Burdick and Susan Lyon to draw and paint from the figure. She also participated in local plein air events and painted weekly with the Piedmont Outdoor Painters Society. A workshop with Sherri McGraw in 2010 inspired her to focus on still life.

Cecelia is a Signature Member of Oil Painters of America. She was honored to be the 2018 winner of the Robert Douglas Hunter Award in the Guild of Boston Artists Regional Juried Exhibition. She is also a three-time finalist in the Art Renewal Center International Salon, the largest and most prestigious competition in the world for realist artists. She lives with her husband, Ken, in Lancaster, PA.

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