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Starting Tuesday, Jan. 17, visitors to Ohio University Southern Art Gallery will be able to step inside a world created by artist Cedric Michael Cox. His work, which is comprised of paintings that catapult color into rhythmic action with both abstract and recognizable images, features compositions inspired by themes in music and the natural world.
Best known for his paintings and drawings that merge surrealism and representational abstraction, Cox is influenced by architecture and art history. “I have been noted to create images that relate to elements of urban architecture, highlighting areas of the city in which I lived and worked,” said Cox. Featuring elements of cubism and deconstructionism, his work combines his interests in musical composition and its relationship to the visual world. “A change in rhythm can be compared to a change in line, weight, brushstroke, value and pitch.”
He has executed several large-scale public murals, as well as murals in schools in the Cincinnati area, and has work in corporate collections.
“The paintings and drawings I create are intended to build bridges between the past, present and future for both individuals and all groups of people,” Cox said.
His work ranges from geometric, to curvilinear, to floral-like forms – all dancing within surrealistic shapes. “While incorporating shapes that reference biomorphic forms in nature and internal human anatomy, I combine recognizable imagery placed in natural and man-made environments to create paintings that celebrate the enduring positive spirit of humanity through passionate color,” said Cox.
His use of vibrant color adds a dreaming and playful quality to his work, and his passion radiates from the canvas. “As a child, I possessed the passion to put my interpretation of the world around me on paper, later forging those images into paintings,” said Cox. “I want the child I once was to be represented in my paintings on a visceral level, and at the same time express the refinement of a maturing culmination… Art is an important way for me to communicate and subsequently build relationships with others.”
Cox’s work will be on display in Ohio University Southern Art Gallery, located in Room 111 in the Dingus Technology Center, until February 10. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.