JOHN COSBY
PLEIN-AIR IMPRESSIONIST PAINTER

"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 a early age. At 18 he was chosen as a communications advanceman 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 California Art Club and an artist member of Oil Painters of America. Cosby is 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.

LIST OF AWARDS:

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

One Man & Group Exhibitions:

2008 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 Mentoring with Plein Air Masters, Canadian Rockies
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, On Location in Malibu, CAC, Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
2006 Group Show, Winter in the Valley, Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA
2006 Three Man Show, Nocturnes, Smith Coleman Fine Art, Charleston, SC
2006 Group Show, Capistrano Light, 1st Annual Capistrano Plein Air Art Festival, SJC, CA
2006 Group Show, Islanders Invitational, Maui HI
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
2005 Group Exhibit, 2nd Annual Wet Paint, Coleman Fine Art, Charleston, SC
2005 Two Man Show, On Location, West to East: John Cosby & Joseph Paquet, Tree’s Place; Orleans, MA

2004 Group Exhibit, The Big Sur Land Trust; New Masters Gallery, Carmel, CA
2004 Group Exhibit, Sights of Southern California, Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA
2004 Group Exhibit, California Art Club 94th Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition, Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, CA
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 starting at Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA
2004 3 Person Show, Cafés, 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, Laguna Beach, CA
2003 Group Exhibit, Sights of Southern California: A Plein Air Art Exhibition at the Bowers Museum; Santa Ana, CA. Received an Honorable Mention Award.
2003 Group Exhibit, 9th Annual California Art Club Plein Air Painting Event at Mission San Juan Capistrano, 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

2002 Group Exhibit, 2002 Salon D’Automne, Edenhurst Gallery & Morseburg Galleries, Los Angeles, CA
2002 Group Exhibit, The City-Small, Medium & Large”, Fountainside Fine Art Gallery, Wilmington, NC
2002 Group Exhibit, 92st Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition, California Art Club, Pasadena Historical Museum, Pasadena, CA
2002 Group Exhibit, Painting the City, Tree’s Place, Orleans, MA
2002 Chairman and participating artist, “4th Annual Lincoln Plein Air Painting Invitational, Laguna Beach, CA
2002 One Man Show, Lahaina Galleries, Newport Beach, CA
2002 One Man Show, Pacific Edge Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2002 Group Exhibit, Yosemite & Sierra Grandeur”, Calif. Art Club Gallery, Pasadena, CA

2001 Guest Artist, Plein Air in Catalina”, Plein Air Painters Assoc., Catalina Island, CA
2001 Group Exhibit, CAC Invitational, 26 Artist Paint Yosemite and the Eastern Sierra, The Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA
2001 Group Exhibit, Oil Painters of America, West/Northwest Mountain Regional Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils”, Springville Museum of Art, Springville, Utah
2001 One Man Show, Pacific Moments; Pacific Edge Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2001 Group Exhibit, On Location Coast to Coast: Small Works by Nine Americans; Tree’s Place, Orleans, MA
2001 Group Exhibit, Shoe Art, Holualoa Gallery, Holualoa, HI
2001 Group Exhibit, 91st Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition, California Art Club, Pasadena Historical Museum, Pasadena, CA
2001 One Man Show, Lahaina Galleries, Newport Beach, CA
2001 Chairman and participating artist, "3rd Annual Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational"

2000 One Man Show, Pacific Edge Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2000 One Man Show, Lahaina Galleries, Newport Beach, CA
2000 One Man Show, Addi Galleries, Maui, HI
2000 One Man Show, Addi Galleries, Reno, NV
2000 Group Exhibit, 90th Annual California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibition; Pasadena Historical Museum, Pasadena, CA
2000 Group Exhibit, California Art Club Spring Salon 2000; Edenhurst Gallery, L.A., CA
2000 Group Exhibit, Oil Painters of America, Ninth Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Gallery Americana, Carmel, CA
2000 One Man Show, Lahaina Galleries, San Francisco, CA
2000 Group Exhibit, Oak Group, Preserving Nature, Faulkner Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2000 Chairman and participating artist, "2nd Annual Laguna Plein Air Painting Competition"

1999 Chairman & participating artist, "1st Annual Laguna Plein Air Painting Competition"
1999 Group Exhibit, Plein Air Exhibit; Laguna Art Museum, CA
1999 Carmel Invitational, Carmel, CA

1998 One Man Show, Addi Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1998 One Man Show, Graphics Gallery, Balboa Island, CA
1998 Laguna Plein-Air Painters, Laguna Art Museum, CA
1998 One Man Show, Addi Gallery, Maui, HI
1998 Group Exhibit, Orange County Museum, Newport Beach, CA
1998 One Man Exhibition, Orange County Public Library
1998 Group Exhibit, Oil Painters of America National Exhibition, Washington, DC
1998 Carmel Invitational, Carmel, CA

1997 One Man Show, Graphics Gallery, Balboa Island, CA
1997 One Man Show, Addi Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1997 One Man Show, Addi Gallery, Maui, HI

1996 Group Exhibit, OPA Southwest Show, Albuquergue, NM
1996 One Man Show, Addi Gallery, Maui, HI
1996 One Man Exhibition, City of Ontario Museum of Natural History Int'l.Art Gallery, Washington, D.C.
1995 One Man Show, Addi Gallery Maui, HI

1993-94 One Man Show, Mark Allen Galleries, Laguna Beach , CA
1993-94 Two Man Show, Milan Galleries, Fort Worth, TX

1993 Group Exhibit, Int'l Society of Marine Painters Museum, Mariners Museum, Newport News, VA
1992 Exhibit, Taco Bell Corp., Corporate Headquarters, Newport Beach, CA
1992 One Man Show; Jezzard Galleries, Las Vegas, NV.
1992 Membership and Exhibition; International Society of Maine Painters
1992 Exhibit, Thomas Charles Galleries, Las Vegas, NV
1992 Exhibit, Annual Int'l Society of Marine Painters Fine Arts Museum, Petosky, MI
1992 "Spanish Light" Special exhibition & benefit for HIV/AIDS
Education Program, American Red Cross - Cosby Gallery, Newport Beach, CA
1992 Group Exhibit, Naples Art Gallery, Naples, FL

1991 Group Exhibit, Royal Galleries, Lahaina, HI
1991 One Man Show, City of San Juan Capistrano, CA
1991 One Man Show, Dana Gallery, Dana Point, CA
1991 Two Man Show, Int'l. Design Center Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
1990 One Man Show, Magadina Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ
1990 One Man Show, Papillion Galleries, Belmont Shores, CA
1990 One Man Show, Rhapsody Fine Art, West Hollywood, CA

1989 Group Exhibit, Houshang Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
1988 Group Exhibit, Kennedy Gallery, Newport Beach, CA
1987 Group Exhibit, City of Oakland, CA

Articles & Periodicals:
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
1994 Vitality Magazine, Cover & Article June
1993 Southwest Profile Magazine, Feature Article in May, June, & July
1993 Vitality Magazine, - Cover & Article in November
1993 Orange County Magazine, - Cover & Article
1993 Freedom of Speech, - Featured Article

Awards:
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
2003 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, HI
2001 First Place, Quick Draw Competition, “Third Annual Desert Plein Air”; La Quinta, CA
2001 Honorable Mention Award & Collectors Choice Award, Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
2000 Award of Excellence, 2000 Desert Plein Air, La Quinta, CA
2000 Poster Artist for Third Annual Desert Plein Air 2001, La Quinta, CA
2000 Best of Show; Maui Lahaina Art Contest, HI
1998 Bronze Medal - Carmel Invitational, Carmel, CA


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
1997 Commissioned by Cigar Affectionado Magazine
1992-93 New York Graphic Society, New York, NY. - Published for Int'l Distribution
1992-93 Cosmo Mdsg. Co, Ltd, Published for Distribution – Japan
1992 "Private Label Resort Wines"; Belvedere Bottlers, Southern Distributing commissioned 10 wine label images
1992 Commissioned by 552 Club "Christmas Parade of the Boats" to benefit Hoag Hospital
1992 Commissioned by Taco Bell Corp. benefit for Irvine Barclay Theater
1992 Commissioned by Taco Bell Corp. benefit for Hoag Hospital
1992 Commissioned by Southwest Beverage to do four Iced Tea Labels
1991 Commissioned by Capistrano Valley Symphony Orchestra
1991-92 Official Artist; South Coast Repertory Theater, Orange County Performing Arts, Costa Mesa, CA
1990-92 Commissioned by Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce & City of Corona Del Mar for Annual Scenic Race
1989 Commissioned by City of Corona Del Mar to create a print representing the City