Michael Cox, Artist

Michael Cox was born in Farmington, Maine and grew up in the East Livermore area. After graduating, he was drafted into the United States Army in 1968. A Vietnam War veteran, he served in the infantry from 1969 to 1970.

After Michael returned from Vietnam, he attended the University of Maine in Farmington. He later graduated from the Maine School of Art (MECA) with his BFA in painting.

Michael’s style and mediums have evolved through the years. Mostly focusing in pastels, he also often utilizes oil paint, watercolors, and sumi-ink. Michael professes, “There are times I would use anything that would make a mark.” The vibrancy of the pastels and paints reflect all of that which Michael is inspired by; politics, history, music, theater, the environment, and society all animate Michael’s works.

Though Michael’s style is singular and suis generis, he is influenced by the greats of impressionism. Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, and Picasso all shine through his work ancestrally. Throughout his journey, Michael has also drawn from personal heroes and mentors such as MECA professor of drawing and painting Ed Douglass, John Lawrence of the MECA design department, and “too many others to list.”

Currently, Michael lives and works in Cornish, ME with his beautiful wife Linda and their pup Ali. He has created Jug Hill Studios from years of dedication to craft and artisanship. Michael is the epitome of a man brimming with charisma and love for life, though when giving a fun fact about himself, he chooses a slightly different description: “old, spontaneous, and with the injuries to prove it!”