Rob Cox paints the urban landscape as well as figures and everyday objects. He talks about painting being about paint. "It's about the application of colors and pigment to the surface. I want the viewer to see the process of painting. The scrumbled brush strokes and lumps of paint are as integral to the work as the illusion of a roadway in the distance." Rob

Born to a father, a political refugee, imprisoned for his nationality, shot through the chest, saved by a stranger who subsequently bore me. As an infant, homeless, perplexed by the thud of bombs exploding. At puberty, found that I was closest to foreigners, refugees and subversives. Married someone from a different continent, who had suffered at the hands of bigots. Taunted as an enemy alien, arrested for possession of recorded music, separated by authorities from my family, crossing borders illicitly, mounted police trampling me underfoot. My relatives persecuted by the secret police simply because of their relationship to me, and dying at the hands of the regime. Is it any wonder that I discovered release in an engagement with art and pure aesthetics. Is it any wonder that I find myself creating works concerned with politics and social issues.

My works on paper reflect the shapes and patterns I take from my environment around me.  Color and texture also play a large role in my compositions, particularly those from fabrics and tapestries.  Although I have been working many years primarily in water based paint, I have recently added printmaking to my art practice and find that printed images are a wonderful basis for mixed media works on paper. 

The surprise and discovery of how art materials join together in either wet or dry application on paper keeps me going from one series to the next.  I don't repeat compositions; every one is new.

Through my lens, as I travel the world, I strive to share with my viewers a photographic glimpse of its beauty and variations of cultures and traditions. 

My focus this year is Mission Bay and the ships in repair or being stored along this once-busy area for ship building and repair. My interest is in the details and composition of the elements that make this a vibrant and larger-than-life environment on its' last legs by the look of things. Another focus is my drawings inspired by this photography, bringing back a hand/analog element to my artwork.

Kim Smith has shown at George Lawson Gallery and Inclusions Gallery in SF.  She is the recepient of several Jurors Awards for ArtSpan auctions and shows.  She was once first sold at the Visual Aid auction and also sold within the top 10.  She published a book (real printing, not on-line) of her work in 2008.  The book, Where Quirky Meets Menacing: an autobiography in collage, won several nationwide awards.  She sells her work through galleries, open studios and her business, Smith & Co. (www.VintageSmith.com)

My collages are meant to be intimate and should evoke a peaceful, quiet and simultaneously compelling response from viewers. Many of the collages are of a serious nature, specifically my recent series "Series For a Better World."  But, one can often find a humorous or unexpected element within the frame as well. I use art to voice opinions and ideas that I often don't have the courage to say aloud.  It is also a form of relaxation and I often spend days exploring galleries and museums. Artwork can have an overwhelming impact on me and strike me with a breath-stopping raw energy that makes me want to produce my own work. Having the time and space to feed this desire is enriching. I was born in Seattle, Washington in 1961 and spent 10 years of my childhood in Germany. I now call San Francisco home. I have degrees in Design, Economics, and an MBA.

I use vintage and antique materials in my collages, rather than modern copies.  I believe using the vintage materials maintains the integrity of the work.  To the greatest degree possible, I treat them in an archival manner.  My work is professionally framed with acid free matting and ready to hang. I usually use museum glass.

My main interest is to paint directly from life, be it outdoors in the landscape, on the city streets or in my studio with a still life on the table. I’m inspired by the play of light and shadow on shapes and colors and by the beauty and meaning I find in “everyday” objects and scenes. I’m drawn to the juxtaposition of geometric, architectural forms against the organic shapes of the landscape, as well as by the sublime and romantic images landscapes often present. I’m also moved by the simple beauty of natural objects that are rich in color and elegant in shape and that are full of meaning in our lives. My passion is to communicate and share this beauty and magic that we are all surrounded by.

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