In the '80s and '90s, San Antonio visual artist James Cobb rode the rollercoaster of the then-booming gallery scene. Solo shows took him across the United States, and his works appeared in shows in Paris and Japan.
Retired from his job as a university instructor and more selective about where and how often he shows his work, Cobb now lives a quieter life. The self-taught painter, who migrated to San Antonio from California in the early '80s, is still a prolific creator — just one who makes fewer overnight trips pulling U-Haul trailers filled to the brim with his work.
In his latest exhibition at San Antonio's FL!GHT Gallery, Cobb showcases 23 new pieces, both paintings and digital works. Six were created during the pandemic.
All were the result of working slowly rather than feeling the pressure to show or sell, Cobb said. During a walkthrough of the gallery, Cobb explained that his triptych painting Sheltering Funnies (Flood Tides of Love) was a project he intended to take his time with.
"I started this when we were locked down, and I wanted to have a series of work that would take me a while," he said. "Because I felt like I didn't need to just pile up objects, and it was a weird enough time that I actually didn't know what I wanted to address as an artist."
While the isolation of the COVID-19 crisis was unwelcome for many, Cobb rolled with it. Isolation can be a natural part of the creative process. Both painting and digital art tend to be solitary endeavors.
"It didn't change my routine much, because I had just retired just before [the lockdown], so I was already at home all the time," he said.
Away from the figure
While discussing Sheltering Funnies (Flood Tides of Love), which blends abstract shapes and vibrant colors, Cobb spoke about how each canvas contains its own universe. He points to an individual panel, in which a bronze background, amber sweeping strokes and tinges of gold all suggest optimism and curiosity.
"This little universe stops within each panel, whenever this is, and whatever's going on is kind of stuck here," Cobb said.
Cobb's '80s and '90s paintings were primarily figurative. He often painted his subjects with exaggerated appendages, their bodies contorted into odd angles and surrounded by loud colors — all reminiscent of the German Expressionist movement of which Franz Marc, Otto Dix and Hermann Max Pechstein are prime examples.
"I painted people and situations, and there was often a little bit of a narrative," Cobb said. "There's really no narrative at this point."
For Cobb, the departure from painting human subjects began in the late '90s. It was a decision fueled by a desire to generate more sales of commercial art, he said. The gallery art scene is a rollercoaster of highs and lows, after all.
"Ultimately I ended up creating very little commercial work but went down a rabbit hole of my own imagery," said Cobb.
Not antisocial
In the end, the departure was exactly what Cobb was looking for — a way out of his own work. Digital art allowed him a sense of playfulness, plus the ability to hit reset and explore new artistic approaches that would have proved difficult had he stuck with painting.
In recent years, he's moved back into painting, but he's stuck with the abstraction unlocked via his deep dive into the digital realm.
"You know, human beings were principal subjects in [my] mind for years, and it's not like I'm anti-social or not interested in people, but as something to paint, I'm really not interested in that," he said.
Even though Cobb has been removed from figurative painting for years now, he said the visual vocabulary and technique he developed during the early portion of his career has stayed with him. It is a vocabulary he's proud to showcase.
"I don't feel influenced by anyone, or two or three particular people. I feel like I'm at a great place right now," Cobb said. "And, actually, this is such a great development for me personally, where I've got my own personal visual vocabulary that I'm really happy to work within, you know. I want to push it."
"James Cobb: Recent Work," Free, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday to Sunday through June 25, FL!GHT Gallery, 112R Blue Star, (210) 872-2586, instagram.com/flightgallery.
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