Oil and Wax on Linen, 36 x 60in 2008
Oil and Wax on Linen, 36 x 48in 2008
Oil and Wax on Linen, 36 x 48in 2008
Oil and Wax on Linen, 55 x 75.5in 2008
Oil and Wax on Linen, 24 x 18in 2008
Oil and Wax on Linen, 36 x 48in 2005
Oil and Wax on Linen, 36 x 48in 2005
Oil and Wax on Linen, 30 x 42in 2001
Oil and Wax on Linen, 48 x 36in 2005 Framed
Oil and Wax on Linen, 49 x 35in 2005
Oil and Wax on Linen, 44 x 36in 2006
Oil and Wax on Linen, 28 x 40in 1999
abstract/modern
Allen Cox
biography
EDUCATION
MFA (Painting). University of Oregon, 1991.
BFA (Painting). University of Oregon, 1988.
BS (Anthropology). University of Oregon, 1979.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2005 New Abstract Paintings. Bennett Galleries. Knoxville, TN.
2004 Small Histories. Butters Gallery. Portland, OR.
2003 Allen Cox: Paintings. Bennett Galleries. Knoxville, TN.
Small Histories. City Art Gallery. Christchurch, New Zealand.
Passages. Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2002 Recent Work. Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR.
2000 New Paintings. Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland OR.
Paintings. Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
1999 Paintings. Grover/Thurston Gallery. Seattle, WA.
1998 Relativity Theories. Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR.
New Paintings. Gail Harvey Gallery. Santa Monica, CA.
1997 PRAXIS: Root Form Sign. Margo Jacobsen Gallery. Portland, OR.
1996 SIT. STAY. SPEAK. Grover/Thurston Gallery. Seattle, WA.
Allen Cox Paintings. Renshaw Gallery, Linnfield College. McMinnville, OR.
New Work. Gail Harvey Gallery. Santa Monica, CA.
1995 Myth & Metaphor. Art Gallery. Lane Community College. Eugene, OR.
Paintings. Margo Jacobsen Gallery. Portland, OR.
Allen Cox. Patricia Williams Gallery. Gleneden Beach, OR.
1993 Paintings. Maveety Gallery. Gleneden Beach, OR.
New Work. Grover/Thurston Gallery. Seattle, WA.
1992 Paintings. Maveety Gallery. Gleneden Beach, OR.
1989 Petroglyphs of Oregon. Grants Pass Museum of Art. Grants Pass, OR.
1988 Recent Work. Gallery 141, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.
Recent Paintings. Southern Oregon State College, Ashland, OR.
1987 Paintings. Penn State-Harrisburg. Harrisburg, PA.
Petroglyphs. Museum of Natural History, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.
1986 New Work. Cafe Central, Eugene, OR.
1985 New Works. Lisa Harris Gallery. Seattle, WA.
1983 Paintings. Center Gallery, Madison, WI.
TWO & THREE PERSON EXHIBITIONS
1999 Anniversary Exhibition, Jenkins Johnson Gallery. San Francisco, CA.
1998 Recent Works From New Zealand, Margo Jacobsen Gallery, Portland, OR.
1997 Two Artists, Andrea Schwartz Gallery. San Francisco, CA.
1991 Allen Cox and Dennis Leon: Recent Works, Chemeketa Community College. Salem, OR.
1990 Three Painters, Maveety Gallery. Portland, OR.
Coast To Coast, The Fanny Garver Gallery. Madison, WI.
1987 Paintings, Benton County Historical Museum. Philomath, OR.
1986 February Exhibition, Maude Kerns Art Center. Eugene, OR.
1984 Recent Paintings, The Fanny Garver Gallery. Madison, WI.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2005 Fifteenth Anniversary Exhibition. Butters Gallery. Portland, OR.
2004 East Tennessee Juried Exhibition. Arts and Culture Alliance. Knoxville, TN. Jurors Award.
2003 Tennessee One Ton Show. South Knoxville Heritage Center. Knoxville, TN.
Affordable Art Fair NYC. Jenkins Johnson Gallery. New York, NY.
Small Works Annual. Jenkins Johnson Gallery. San Francisco, CA.
1999 Abstraction Meets Realism. Jenkins Johnson Gallery. San Francisco, CA.
Small Works, Margo Jacobsen Gallery. Portland, OR.
Small Works, Jenkins Johnson Gallery. San Francisco, CA.
Grand Opening Exhibition, Imago Galleries. Palm Desert, CA.
1998 Abstractions, Gail Harvey Gallery. Santa Monica, CA.
1997 The Artful Box, University of Oregon Museum of Art. Eugene, OR.
Gallery Artists, Imago Gallery. Palm Desert, CA.
Small Scale Works, Margo Jacobsen Gallery. Portland, OR.
Surfacings, Gail Harvey Gallery. Santa Monica, CA.
1996 New Art/Northwest, Gallery 500. Elkins Park, PA.
Open Skies, University of Oregon Museum of Art. Eugene, OR.
New Painting, Bentley Gallery. Scottsdale, AZ.
Sitka Invitational, World Forestry Center. Portland, OR
1994 Artquake Exhibition (Invitational), Portland Artquake. Portland, OR.
Mayors Art Show, Jacobs Gallery, Hult Performing Arts Center. Eugene, OR. .
Gallery Artists, Grover/Thurston Gallery. Seattle, WA.
1993 Crosscut (Oregon Biennial 1993), Portland Art Museum. Portland, OR. Gallery Artists, Grover/Thurston Gallery. Seattle, WA.
1992 New Works on Paper (Gallery Artists), Elizabeth Leach Gallery. Portland, OR.
Gallery Artists, Grover/Thurston Gallery. Seattle, WA
Mayors Art Show, Jacobs Gallery, Hult Performing Arts Center. Eugene, OR. Award of Merit
1991 Oregon Biennial 1991, Portland Art Museum. Portland. OR.
MFA Terminal Project, University Of Oregon Museum of Art. Eugene, OR
1989 Oregon Biennial 1989, Portland Art Museum. Portland. OR.
Third Biennial Oregon/Washington Juried Exhibition, Maryhill Museum of Art. Goldendale, WA.
All Oregon Annual, Oregon State Fair. Salem, OR.
Oregon 2-D, Salem Art Association. Salem, OR.
Nuclear Vision (Nationally Touring Exhibition), Oregon Coast Council For The Arts. Newport, OR.
18th Willamette Valley Juried Exhibition, Corvallis Art Center. Corvallis, OR.
1988 Mayors Art Show, Jacobs Gallery, Hult Performing Arts Center. Eugene, OR.
All Oregon Annual, Oregon State Fair. Salem, OR.
Seventh Annual Juried Exhibition, New Zone Gallery. Eugene, OR
Group Exhibition, San Francisco State. San Francisco, CA.
Nuclear Vision (Nationally Touring Exhibition), Oregon Coast Council For The Arts. Newport, OR.
Oregon Alumni Exhibition, Collier House. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.
1987 Oregon Biennial 1987, Portland Art Museum. Portland. OR.
All Oregon Annual, Oregon State Fair. Salem ,OR.
Oregon 2-D, Salem Art Association. Salem, OR. Award of Merit Sixth Annual Juried Exhibition, New Zone Gallery. Eugene, OR.
Oregon Alumni Exhibition, Collier House. University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.
1986 Fifth Annual Juried Exhibition, New Zone Gallery. Eugene, OR.
Abstract Work (Four Gallery Artists), Mary Bell Galleries. Chicago, IL.
1985 Ninth Anniversary Group Show, The Fanny Garver Gallery. Madison, WI
Works on Paper (Four Gallery Artists), Mary Bell Galleries. Chicago, IL.
1984 Cross-Section, Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin. Madison, WI.
Lakefront Festival of Arts, Milwaukee Art Museum. Milwaukee, WI
1983 Watercolor Wisconsin '83, Wustum Museum of Fine Arts. Racine, WI
Wisconsin Focus, Cudahy Gallery, Milwaukee Art Museum. Milwaukee, WI.
Faces: Five Interpretations (Five Gallery Artists), Center Gallery. Madison, WI.
1982 Wisconsin Impressions, Cudahy Gallery, Milwaukee Art Museum. Milwaukee, WI.
PRESENTATIONS
2003 Allen Cox: A Small History, Guest Lecturer, School of Fine Arts. University of
Canterbury. Christchurch, New Zealand.
2002 Allen Cox: A Decade of Painting, Board of Visitors Lecture Series, School of Architecture & Allied Arts. University of Oregon. Eugene, OR.
1998 Southern Light: Painting in New Zealand, Gallery Lecture, Margo Jacobsen Gallery. Portland, OR.
1996 The Uncertainty Principle: New Works, Guest Lecturer, Department of Fine Art, Linnfield College. McMinnville, OR.
Metaphysical Landscapes, Gallery Lecture, University of Oregon Museum of Art.
1995 Myth & Metaphor, Guest Lecturer, Department of Fine Arts. Lane Community College. Eugene, OR.
Abstract Painting, Gallery Lecture, Margo Jacobsen Gallery. Portland, OR.
1993 Post-historic Painting: Personal Work, Guest Lecturer, Philosophy and Fine Arts Departments. University of Oregon. Eugene, OR.
Allegory and Abstraction: New Paintings, Guest Lecturer, Department of Fine Arts. Lane Community College. Eugene, OR.
1991 Abstract Painting, Gallery Lecture. University of Oregon Museum of Art. Eugene, OR Columbia River Pictographs, Field Presentation for the Archaeological Institute of America. Columbia River Gorge, WA.
Recent Work: Painting, Guest Lecturer, Department of Fine Arts, Lane Community College. Eugene, OR.
1989 Petroglyphs of Oregon, Gallery Lecture. Grants Pass Museum of Art. Grants Pass, OR. 1987 Aesthetics and Postmodern Painting, Guest Lecturer, Humanities Division. Penn-State
Harrisburg. Harrisburg, PA.
PUBLIC SERVICE & TEACHING
2005 Instructor, Structuring Abstraction, Seminar. Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, Otis, OR.
2004 Instructor, Abstract Painting, Seminar. Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, Otis, OR.
2003 Instructor, Approaches in Abstraction, Seminar. Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, Otis, OR.
2002 Instructor, Cold Wax Encaustic, Seminar. Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, Otis, OR.
2002 Artist, Kows For Kids On Parade. Children’s Services Benefit Fundraiser. Portland, OR.
1998 to 2001 Student Advisor, Portfolio Review Day, University of Oregon School of
Architecture and Allied Arts.
1996 to 2002 Boardmember, Board Of Visitors, School of Architecture and Allied Arts,
University of Oregon. Appointment by President Frohnmeyer, University of
Oregon.
1996 Juror, Mayors Art Show. Jacobs Gallery, Eugene, OR. Appointment by Mayor Ruth Bascom.
1995 to 1997 Boardmember, Board of Directors, Friends of the Museum of Natural History,
University of Oregon.
1995 Visiting Artist, Drawing Seminar. Department of Fine & Applied Arts, University of
Oregon.
1995 Selection Committee Member. Percent for the Arts Public Building Project. Lane Regional Arts Council. Eugene, Or
1993 Juror, New Zone Gallery Annual Open Juried Exhibition. Eugene, OR.
1991 Adjunct Instructor, Painting. Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Oregon.
MEDIA APPEARANCES
2005 Painting used as album art. Clovis. Clovis. American-released Jazz CD.
2001 Video interview. Allen Cox Painter. Oregon Art Beat. Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).
2000 Painting used as album art. First Meeting, Atlantic String Trio. European-released Jazz CD.
1998 Painting used as textbook cover. Later Language Development, Marilyn Nippold, Ph.D.
1997 Paintings used on set. Mario Puzo’s “The Last Don”. Network Mini-series.
1993 Paintings used on set. Body of Evidence. Motion Picture.
1991 Painting used as textbook cover. Logic and Critical Thinking, Don Levi, Ph.D.
REVIEWS, ARTICLES, BOOKS & CATALOGS
2003 Essential Viewing, Alice Shopland. NZ House & Garden. Fall 2003. New Zealand.
2003 Art Beat. Review, Christopher Moore. The Press. May 10, 2003. Christchurch, New Zealand.
2003 Good For Art. Article, Paige M. Travis. December 4, 2003. Metro Pulse Volume 13 #49. Knoxville, TN.
2003 Abstract Attitude. Interview, Doug Mason. December 7, 2003. Knoxville News Sentinel. Knoxville, TN.
2003 100 Artists of the West Coast. Hardcover Book. Douglas Bullis. 2003. Schiffer Publishing.
2000 The Promise of Meaning: Recent Paintings of Allen Cox. Exhibition Catalog Essay,
Garry L. Hagberg, Ph.D., Director of the Program in Philosophy and the Arts. Bard College,
Annandale, NY. November 2000. Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
1999 Three Part Harmony. Exhibition Catalog Essay, Jeffrey Wechsler, Senior Curator, Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers, NJ. January 1999. Jenkins Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
1998 Allen Cox, Abstract Artist’s Paintings Build Upon Themselves. Article, Lois Wadsworth. October 29, 1998. Eugene Weekly, Eugene, OR.
1997 Allen Cox: An Important Oregon Painter You Should Know About. Review, Martin Parsons. May 1997. ARTSPEAK, New York, NY.
1996 Falling Leaves, Rising Shows on Local Scene. Article, Suzanne Muchnik. September 8, 1996. LosAngeles Times, Los Angeles, CA.
1996 Galleries Warm Up For Artfair. Review, Robin Updike. January 11, 1996. Seattle Times, Seattle, WA.
1996 New American Painting-Pacific Coast Edition 1996. Juried catalog, quarterly publication. Open Studios Press. Needham, MA.
1996 “Open Skies” A Breath Of Fresh Air. Review, Bob Keefer. July 26, 1996. Register-Guard, Eugene, OR.
1995 Allen Cox Exhibition. Broadcast Review, Fred Crafts. February 14, 1995. KUGN AM 590. Eugene, OR.
1995 Remembrance of Things Past. Review, Kevin Francis. April 12, 1995. Willamette Week, Portland, OR.
1993 CROSSCUT, Contemporary Art from Oregon. Exhibition Essay, John Weber, Curator of Contemporary Art, Portland Art Museum. 1993. Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR.
1993 Abstract Paintings Depict Classic Themes and Colors. Article, Bob Keefer. November 12, 1993. Register-Guard, Eugene, OR.
1993 Something Old, Something New. Review, Kevin Francis. August 5-11, 1993. Willamette Week, Portland, OR.
1990 Differing Similarities. Review, Randy Gragg. July 13, 1990. The Oregonian, Portland, OR.
1990 For This Artist A Man’s House is His Head. Review, Randy Gragg. August 10, 1990. The Oregonian, Portland OR.
PUBLIC COLECTIONS
Beaverton Public Library.
Eugene Water and Electric Board.
Knight Library, University of Oregon.
State of Oregon Lottery Building.
CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
Adobe Systems, Inc. (Boardroom Installation)
Allen, Kazbeck & O’Halloran, Attorneys
Bucknell Stehlic Attorneys
Crabbe Huson Group, Financial Funds
Hotel Management Association
Howard S. Wright Construction
Indus Group Software
Robert Moser, DDS
MCG/Management Compensation Group
Mergis Capital Management
OBA! Restaurante
Oregon Cardiology
Perkins Coie, Attorneys
Price Waterhouse Coopers
Scanlan Kemper Bard, Property Investment
Timberline Group
Veralrud & Orr, Attorneys
artist statement
Allen Cox is a well-known Pacific Northwest abstract painter, a native Oregonian, currently residing in Knoxville, TN. Cox has been showing his work nationally since 1982 and held his first international exhibition in Christchurch, New Zealand in May 2003. He holds an MFA in painting from the University of Oregon, where he studied with the highly regarded Pacific Northwest abstract painter Frank Okada. Allen Cox is represented by galleries in Portland, OR; Laguna Beach and Palm Desert, CA; Christchurch, New Zealand and Knoxville, TN.
Allen Cox’s unique art finds its basis in 20th century abstraction, yet at the same time includes pictorial elements not usually accepted in pure abstraction. Cox feels such contradictions add to the complexity of his densely constructed images. These paintings also reflect his years of work as an archaeologist in Oregon. Multi-layered surfaces echo the stratified remnants of past events, for instance, while the abstracted reductive figures that often inhabit the work suggest meaning in much the same way as prehistoric pictographs operate.
Cox has been featured in New American Paintings: Artists of the West Coast and is the subject of an Oregon Public Broadcasting profile for the television program Oregon Art Beat. Cox and his work are currently featured in the book 100 Artists of the West Coast by Douglas Bullis, released in December 2003. Cox’s paintings are found in numerous public and private collections across the US, as well as internationally.