JOHN COSBY b. 1955, American "While standing on location in a place I have never visited, I begin to recognize what is different from all the other places I have been. I try to capture that, the uniqueness," says Cosby. As a plein-air painter Cosby travels extensively painting what he sees and feels. Bold use of color and an energetic brush stroke is what you will see and feel when viewing a painting by Cosby. Born in Hollywood California in 1955, Cosby was raised in the west. At an early age he began to draw and paint and was lucky enough to have a grandmother who was an oil painter. "She would give me the paint, some brushes and a scrap of canvas and set me off to paint. This early experience took the fear out of creating a painting," said Cosby. Cosby started traveling at an early age. At 18 he was chosen as a communications advancement for President Nixon and began to travel the globe, continuing in this capacity through the Ford Administration. He met many interesting people and saw many things but what most interested him were the great works of art he encountered. "They haunted me and helped set the course for my career as a painter". After leaving the White House, Cosby rebuilt an old classic sailing sloop designed by Nathaniel Herrishoff. With a friend (who had dreams of being a writer) set sail up and down the eastern seaboard in the inland waterway for 3 years. Thus he began his art career. "Doing drawings of anything that moved me, things began to sell and my course was set," said Cosby. Upon his return to the California, Cosby began painting the sea and landscape of coastal California. With a strong gallery response, his success as a painter quickly followed. Cosby currently resides and maintains studios in California and works on location around the world. He is a founding board member of the prestigious Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, an artist member of the California Art Club and an artist member of the Oil Painters of America. Cosby is a founder of the Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational held at the Laguna Art Museum. With his bold contemporary style Cosby has captured the imagination of some very important collectors. Internationally recognized, his work can be found in many private, public and corporate collections around the world. SELECT AWARDS: 2011 First Place, Plein Air in the Park, Paso Robles CA. Awarded by Jean Stern, The Irvine Museum 2009 Collectors Choice Award; Laguna Art Museum CA 2007 First Place, Heritage Art Show, San Juan Capistrano, CA 2007 Irvine Museum Award, Coastal Splendor Plein Air Invitational, Crystal Cove, CA 2007 Second Place, Casa Romantica, San Clemente, CA 2005 Honorable Mention; Coastal Splendor Plein Air Invitational, Crystal Cove, CA 2004 Honorable Mention; Sights of Southern California; Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA 2004 Honorable Mention; Coastal Splendor Plein Air Invitational, Crystal Cove, CA 2004 Artist Choice Award; Quick Draw, Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, CA 2002 Honorable Mention, Sights of Southern California; Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA 2002 Collectors Choice Award, Lincoln Plein Air Painting Invitational, Laguna Beach, CA 2001 First Place, Quick Draw, Haggin Museum, Yosemite Painters Group, Stockton, CA 2001 Best of Show Award, Lahaina Poster Contest, Lahaina, Maui, H. 2001 First Place, Quick Draw Competition, Third Annual Desert Plein Air" La Quinta, CA SELECT SHOWS: 2014 The Irvine Museum, ‘Sunlight and Shadow; The Tradition of Plein Air Painting” 2013 One Man Show, The Redfern Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA 2008 Group Show, Stockfarm Country Club, Montana 2008 Group Show, New Orleans Smith Coleman Fine Arts, Charleston, SC 2008 Heritage Art Show, San Juan Capistrano, CA 2007 One Man Show, Expressions of Light", Pacific Edge Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA 2007 Group Show, Heritage Art Show, San Juan Capistrano, CA 2007 Group Show, Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, Laguna Art Museum 2007 Group Show, Society for the Advancement of Plein Air Painting, Catalina Island 2007 2 Man Show, Tree's Place, Orleans, MA 2007 Group Show, 96th Gold Medal Juried Exhibit, CAC , Pasadena Museum of California Art 2007 Group Show, Coastal Splendor; Invitational Art Show, Crystal Cove Alliance 2007 Group Show, Impressions of California, Bakersfield Museum of Art 2007 Panel Speaker, Cape Cod Museum of Art, Dennis, MA 2006 Three Man Show, Bakersfield Museum, Bakersfield, CA 2006 16th Annual Invitational Miniature Show, Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA 2006 Group Show, Winter in the Valley, Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA 2006 Three Man Show, Nocturnes, Smith Coleman Fine Art, Charleston, SC 2006 One Man Show Pacific Edge Gallery Laguna Beach CA 2006 One Man Show Laguna Art Museum Laguna Beach CA 2006 Coastal Splendor; Invitational Art Show", Crystal Cove Alliance 2005 Group Show, 15th Annual Invitational Miniature Show, Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA 2005 Invitational, 1st Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival, Sedona, AZ 2005 Group Show, American Artists Abroad, Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT 2005 Group Show, Summer Leisure, Calif. Art Club, Calif. Art Club Gallery, San Marino, CA 2005 One Man Show, Afternoon Light, Pacific Edge Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA 2005 Group Exhibit, American Miniatures Exhibition, Settlers West, Tucson, AZ 2004 One Man Show, Lahaina Galleries, Newport Beach, CA 2004 Invitational, 6th Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, LAM, CA 2004 One Man Show, Pacific Edge Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA 2004 Guest Artist, 19th Annual Plein Air Painters of America, Guest Artist, Caesars Tahoe, CA 2004 Group Exhibit, Sea to Shining Sea, Traveling Exhibit through 2007 t Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA 2004 3 Person Show, Caf‚s, Bars & other Diversions, Tree's Place, Orleans, MA 2004 National Conference on Representational Painting, Panelist, Cape Cod, Ma 2003 Group Exhibit, Canyon de Chelly en Plein Air, Trailside Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ 2003 Two Man Show, California Plein Air Painters; John Budicin & John Cosby, Tree's Place, Orleans, MA 2003 Group Exhibit, San Luis Obispo Plein Air Painting Festival, San Luis Obispo, CA 2003 Group Exhibit, 5th Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, Laguna Art Museum, 2003 Group Exhibit, Sights of Southern California: A Plein Air Art Exhibition at the Bowers Museum; Santa Ana, Received an Honorable Mention Award. 2003 Group Exhibit, 9th Annual California Art Club Plein Air Painting Event at Mission San Juan Capistrano, CA 2003 Group Show, Lahaina Galleries, Bend, OR 2003 One Man Show, Lahaina Galleries, Newport Beach, CA 2003 Group Exhibit, 18th Annual Catalina Exhibit & Sale, A Reunion of Artists, Society for the Advancement of Plein Air Painting, Avalon, CA 2003 Group Exhibit, Annual Summer Show, Settlers West Gallery, Tucson, AZ 2003 Group Exhibit, Carmel Art Festival, Carmel, CA 2003 One Man Show, From Where I Stood, Pacific Edge Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA 2003 Guest Artist, First Annual Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Plein Air, in partnership with Tucson Plein Air Painters' Society, Inc.,Tucson, AZ 2003 Group Exhibit, Small Works Holiday Exhibition, Tree's Place Gallery Artists, Orleans, MA 2003 One Man Show, Lahaina Galleries, San Francisco, CA 2003 Group Exhibit, 93rd Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition, California Art Club, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA SELECT PUBLICATIONS: 2008 Southwest Art Magazine Feature Article, March Issue 2008 American Artist Workshop Magazine Feature Article Winter Issue 2006 International Collector Magazine Article Jan 2006 2004 American Artist, Painting America From Sea to Shining Sea, June 2004 2004 Southwest Art Magazine, From Sea to Shining Sea, May 2004 2003 Enchanted Isle; A History of Plein Air Painting in Santa Catalina Island, published by The Society for the Advancement of Plein air Painting. 2003 Southwest Art Magazine, A View to the Sea, October Issue 2003 California Art Club Newsletter, Featured Artists, May Issue 2003 Southwest Art Magazine, Feature article, May Issue 2002 Laguna Beach Community Services, Cover, Winter 2003 2002 Art-Talk, In Plein Sight", November issue 2002 U.S. Art, En Plein Air, October issue 2002 Costa D'Oro, Laguna Beach's Plein Air Painting Competition, Spring issue 2002 Southwest Art Magazine, California Best of the West, July issue 2002 U.S. Art, Top 50 Artists 2001 Issue, March issue 2001 U.S. Art, California Dreaming, Cover & Article September 2001 Vitality Magazine, Cover & Article 2001 Coast Magazine, Reaching for the Stars, August issue 2001 Palm Springs Life; In Plein Sight January issue 2000 Southwest Art Magazine ; Southwest Art Selects" December issue 1999 American Artist Magazine, April issue OTHER: 2004 Member of the Board of Directors, Laguna Art Museum 1999 to present Founder of the Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational (Laguna Art Museum) 1997 to present Founding Board member of Laguna Plain-Air Painters Association