Contemporary realist Tim Cox is a painter and perfectionist who explores and documents
experiences of the modern working cowboy, capturing the glorious landscape, majestic skies,
energy, hard work and romance of life on America's open range.
Born in Arizona and raised in Duncan, a small farming and ranching community on
the New Mexico border, Cox vowed at the age of five he "was gonna be a cowboy artist" when
he grew up, a goal pursued with unwavering determination and a penchant for absolute
accuracy. "If I don't know my subject, I don't paint it...I just cannot do impressionistic
paintings, although I've been told by some successful artists to do so: 'Loosen up. Forget the
details of ropes and spurs; use more splash-dash, make bold strokes!' Thank you, no."
Although his evident skill was recognized early on and he was encouraged in his
painting, Cox suspected that most art schools and colleges would not support his highly
realistic approach. Instead, he studied formal drawing with William Whitaker at Brigham
Young University and sought out cowboy artists he admired who provided sound advice and
reinforced his principles regarding elements of design, composition and the importance of light.
Painting professionally since 1975, Cox works at his easel at least ten hours each day,
seven days a week, producing no more than fourteen meticulous oil paintings each year, all of
which he has sold. Living with his wife Suzie, a former rodeo champion, and their two children
in the remote ranching community of Eagle Creek, Arizona since 1978, where mail comes just
one each week and the nearest telephone, electrical pole or grocery store is an hour and a half
away, Cox is completely engrossed in the life he documents on canvas.
The Cox ranch includes several quarter horses, most of which are bred for cutting,
broken, trained and sometimes shown by the artist as his spare-time passion, a small herd of
cattle and several Longhorns. The artist regularly rides roundup with his neighbors and knows
the imagery and camaraderie he paints from long hours in the saddle. Exactness in his
portrayal of horses and riders, the cowboy's individual style, gear and relationship to each
other makes Cox' work appreciated by ranchers and cowboys, earning him over 60 magazine
covers including Western Horsemen, The Cattleman and Quarter Horse Journal, gallery shows
throughout the West, and a well-deserved reputation as 'The Cowboy's Painter.'
BIRTHPLACE: Safford, AZ
ANNUAL EXHIBITIONS: Trappings, Flagstaff AZ
Governor's Invitational, Cheyenne, WY
Settler's West Miniature Show, Tucson, AZ
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