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Photos from left: Former Ashby-Hodge curator, Tom Yancey, discusses the Cox collection with Sabra Tull Meyer; “Music Makes the Heaven Light” by E. Melinda Morrison, who captures and shares the intimacy of people at their daily work; and Melissa Williams and Tom Stauder, in foreground, and Dorothy Jean Ayres and Susan Markland Donnelly ’70 visit during the opening reception for Shades of Americana.
narily capable and generous gentleman that Glenn Cox is.” Along the way, the Coxes began to collect actual paintings of young artists. Glenn claims it was all his wife’s doing. “The idea of collecting art was not on our ‘to do’ list,” he confesses. “One afternoon in the fall of 1983 Ronnie decided to attend an art show at a local gallery that had excellent connections with many emerging younger artists as well as a number of established painters. “I stayed home to watch a football game,” he adds ruefully. “When she returned, she said, ‘Guess what I bought!’ It was a small oil on canvas landscape entitled ‘Rio Hondo’ by Paul Strisik that reminded her of where she and her parents had lived in Colorado. “And that,” Glenn observes, “is how you start an art collection.” Thirty years later the Coxes have helped many a young artist toward a successful career. Their collection is eclectic in theme, style, and medium. When they built a new house a few years ago, they had to add a gallery hall in order to house all their art treasures. “The majority of our selections were based on visual appeal and being reasonably priced,” he explains.
Fall 2012
“Whatever it was, we both had to like it. Neither of us has artistic skills, but we do admire and enjoy the work of those who use color to portray the pleasant and intriguing visual images that appeal to us.” The physical art Glenn and Ronnie Cox own parallels the virtual canvas that they themselves have “painted,” full of simple beauty, compassion, contemplation, warmth, nostalgia, and love. The Coxes continue to paint the world a shade better than they found it. Below, right: “Strolling on the Beach” by Pino. He grew up around beautiful and confident women, as reflected in his art. He is also known for more than 3,000 illustrations for romance novel book covers. Left: “Vegetable Market - San Francisco El Alto” by William Kalwick, who often paints Mexican and Guatemalan descendants of the Mayan culture.
Central Methodist University
Talon
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