Today, we’d like to introduce you to Madelyn Cox.
Hi Madelyn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I have always loved art. I took art classes throughout high school but never thought much about it. My plans for my career have always been to attend PA school and work in the healthcare field. When I was nineteen, I served a mission for my church in Missouri. Around Mother’s Day, my companion and I found a crayola watercolor palette in our closet and decided to paint something for our moms.
Hers turned out so pretty and amazing; my flowers were the ugliest I have ever seen. I decided I was never touching paint again haha. A few weeks later, I met this couple from Germany, and we started talking about hobbies. She mentioned that she was an Artist and loved to paint, so I asked her for a few tips and tricks. Her response was “I don’t have any tips, I simply paint because I and everyone needs some color in their lives”. So I began painting everyday, because I needed some color in my life, and it brought a huge amount of peace into my life I didn’t know I was missing. Fast forward to the summer of 2022. I married and lived in a cabin for the summer while my husband was studying for the MCAT for medical school.
I wasn’t doing a ton because it was summer and school wasn’t going, so I asked my sister for advice, and she told me I should try making a calendar to sell on Etsy. It was a fun little project to focus all my energy on, so I went for it. By November, it was done, and I sold eight of them. But I LOVED that feeling. Come January of 2023, I started to question if I wanted to go to PA school or if I wanted to pursue art. So, my husband and I decided I would focus on art for the year and try selling it. I began attending markets and selling originals and prints. It’s been a bumpy road and a huge learning curve, but it’s worth it.
Come August I started experimenting with oil paints and found my niche of palette knife painting, this is where I felt like I fit in, and this was my contribution to the dense art world. Since then, I have participated in more markets, continued with my palette knife painting, and sold prints and originals. It is my dream and goal to work full-time as an artist. I am grateful for that nineteen-year-old who didn’t give up and eventually found my passion.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road, nor is it still a smooth road. I am still very small and haven’t transitioned into it being my full-time job yet.
Finding my little niche where I was good at, and this was my type of art, helped me a lot. But finding my right target audience, and figuring out social media marketing and Etsy has been hard for me.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am known for palette knife paintings with oil paints. I paint landscapes that are full of texture and color. This sets me apart from other artists because the texture in my work can be seen and felt, it reminds me of Claude Monet or Van Gogh’s style of paintings.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I’ve learned along my journey is that what YOU have to offer is important and matters.
Copying other’s work will help you learn, but people want to see you and what you love. Finding what you are good at and what you love to create will help others want to buy from you.
Pricing:
- Prints starting at $12
- Originals vary pending on size.
Contact Info:
- Website: madelyncoxart.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madelyncoxart?igsh=dzJ6aWp5a3hqeHo1&utm_source=qr
Image Credits
Kylee Dayton
