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“There are so many reasons for making art, but my favorite thing about art is its many abilities to tell a story and communicate a message,” Alyssa Cox said as she works toward obtaining a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts in Studio Art at Texas Woman’s University.
After growing up in Marlow, Cox said she first fell in love with creating art at a young age.
“I enjoyed drawing when I was little, although I think most people do too,” she said. “I was homeschooled until middle school so I remember doing some drawings for certain things early on to count as ‘school work’ on special occasions.”
She said when she returned to art classes in middle school, she had a more specific interest in cartoon stylization and illustration and she soon discovered the enjoyment and passion.
“I further refined my technical ability and concepts during college so now I can draw photo-realistically when I want to,” she said.
Cox said a big sign of art becoming a passion was that it didn’t just stop after she left the classroom. She boasts nearly 11 years of consistently creating art after solidifying her interest while on a family trip to Florida when she was 13.
“I took a new sketchbook and a box of colored pencils and drew various cartoons, comics and illustrations during the whole car drive,” she said. “I’ve been experimenting, practicing and creating new art ever since then.”
She said her favorite part about working with the arts is the variety of fields offered, as well as the ability to tell a story.
“You can illustrate images to go with actual text in story books or you can make very powerful visual narratives where no words are needed to understand the purpose of the artwork,” she said.
Cox graduated from Marlow High School in 2018 and went on to attend the University of Oklahoma (OU) before transferring to Cameron University (CU).
She said the Chisholm Trail Arts Council (CTAC) helped her through the different stages of her art career — from high school and college to job experience.
Cox said when she returned to the Duncan area, after transferring from OU to attend Cameron, CTAC Executive Director Darcy Reeves hired her as a part-time assistant in the gallery office.
“This was a huge help in supporting me financially and was also fantastic work experience in my field of focus,” she said. “I learned so much about gallery work, non-profits, networking and so many other responsibilities that came with the job.”
She said she loved being in the gallery nearly everyday and the job helped her to stay motivated with her personal and school art.
“It was also very helpful in keeping me active in the local art community as I would participate in every exhibit that I could that CTAC hosted,” she said. “This helped tremendously with my resume for applying to graduate school and even went on to help me score a ‘gallery support’ job at Texas Woman’s University because of my work experience and knowledge about how to manage/hang/up-keep a gallery.”
Cox graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, with a concentration in painting, in spring 2023. She is now enrolled as a graduate student at Texas Woman’s University’s (TWU) Visual Arts Program where she is working to obtain a Fine Arts in Studio Art Master’s Degree.
Cox’s involvement in art flows from Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas with artwork in galleries such as CTAC, the Leslie Power Gallery in Lawton, the Duncan Area Hall of Fame Gallery, In Your Eye Studio and Gallery in Oklahoma City, The Paseo Arts Association in Oklahoma City, Cameron University in Lawton, Fontbonne Fine Art Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri, 9th Street Studio in Wichita Falls, Texas and Goddard Center Gallery in Ardmore.
“My personal artwork narratives and symbols try to reflect on and emphasize positive virtues found in Christianity,” she said. “It is also very enjoyable to have the ability to create something beautiful that is inspired by the world around us.”
In the future, Cox said she looks to have a career as art professor.
Once established in her career, she said she would like to begin her plans to open a family-owned art gallery where she can offer other artists opportunities to showcase their work — from beginning artists to master artists, whether they are younger or older, professional or hobbyist, traditional or innovative — “all located within a relaxing and cozy environment of a coffee shop/cafe where you catch the traffic of other customers that may get to be introduced to some great art,” she said.
While pursuing an art career isn’t always the easiest road to travel, Cox said it’s important for future and current artists to create art that will resonate with you on a personal level.
“Make art with your friends and loved ones and just have fun with it,” she said. “Find a support group of people to keep you motivated and encouraged, but who can also give you good critique and feedback.”
Cox noted the importance of experimenting with a variety of paints, pastels, drawing tools and more to find a media the artist is most comfortable with and enjoys.
“If you don’t like one, that’s okay,” she said. “Move onto the next.”
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