The Wild Side Artist of the Week: John Cosby

2013-05-16
Catalina Island Conservancy

John Cosby returns for the third time to the Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale, scheduled for June 21-22, 2013, at the Catalina Island Country Club.

Born in Hollywood in 1955, John Cosby was raised in the West. He began to draw and paint at an early age and his grandmother was an oil painter.  "She would give me the paint, some brushes and a scrap of canvas, and send me off to paint.  This early experience took the fear out of creating a painting," said Cosby.

He traveled extensively at an early age. At 18, Cosby was hired as a communications advanceman for President Nixon and traveled the globe, serving through the Ford Administration. He was captivated by the great works of art he encountered.

He began his art career while sailing up and down the Eastern Seaboard for three years with a friend. After returning to California, he began painting the sea and landscapes of coastal California.

Formerly of Paso Robles, California, John currently resides in Laguna Beach. He works on location around the world. He was a founding board member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and is a signature member of California Art Club. He was also a founder of the Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational held at the Laguna Art Museum.

Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale
Eleven nationally acclaimed plein air artists will display their interpretations of Catalina's rugged wildlands as well as Avalon and Two Harbors at the Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale on June 21-22. The art-filled weekend will begin with a special Artists Preview Dinner on June 21, the Friday evening before the show, at a private residence in Avalon, Catalina Island. The afternoon of Saturday, June 22, the show – featuring more than 100 plein air paintings – will take place at the Catalina Island Country Club, followed by an optional prix fixe dinner. Tickets for the show and the dinners are available online.