Page 33 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2018

Her husband believes that if she weren’t
so good at so many mediums and
subjects, she would have a concentrated
collection to sell at a gallery as
well. “My art is an outlet to
relax, and I truly
enjoy it,” said Diane. “With my
art there
are no deadlines or
responsibilities.” Lately, her art has been
a true labor of love helping her daughter prepare for the arrival of twin boys. She has been working on special watercolors for her grandsons’ nursery. In addition, she is crafting hand made flowers to fill her and Michael’s vase collection.
Just a few years away from military retirement, Diane plans to use her GI Bill after retirement to complete her fine arts degree and refine her painting even more. “I can’t wait to see what she does after she gets her degree because what she does now is amazing,” adds Michael.
Michael was drawn to the idea of skull art because he thought it would be interesting and something different in the art world. After researching exotic animal skulls, Michael found a vendor who only imports exotic African animal skulls. These skulls
Diane Cox paints whimsical and realistic subjects
in oil and watercolors.
are from animals that are harvested for food and not hunted. He hand paints each skull in acrylic, many in bright colors, and has developed unique techniques using both gold and silver leaf and oftentimes adding Swarovski crystals. The painted pieces are then mounted for display. In four years, he has probably crafted 50 works of skull art. His hand-painted and adorned pieces range in price from $800 to $1,400 per piece.
For art collectors, Michael’s pieces are new and different. “There are very few people in the world who do what I do,” says Michael, who has also marketed his craft to hunters as a different version of taxidermy. Today, his art is sold at Tresor Art Gallery on Royal Street in New Orleans.
Michael and Diane, who have traveled the world thanks to her military nursing career, thought they would return to Tampa, Fla., where they originally met when retirement approaches. However, since arriving on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, they have fallen in love with the people, relaxed lifestyle and amenities and decided to make a permanent home here focused on their love of art.
Michael Cox hand paints African skulls in bright acrylics and gold and silver paint, sometimes adding Swarovski crystals.
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February 2018 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 33
www.coxskullart.com