J A Cobb
A man who takes his whimsy very seriously
Once this metal sculptor traded in his three piece
suits and starched shirts for jeans and a T-shirt, he never glanced
back. He found a life he loves. One where five and six foot frogs
in tutus and tuxedos are the norm and his graceful herons and realistic
fish sculptures dot the gardens and homes throughout the United
States, England and Canada. This world is far from what Cobb envisioned
after graduating with a degree in business from the University of
North Carolina, but one he has embraced with both his heart and
soul.
“I
gave the world of corporate business twenty one good years and now
I’m taking the rest just for me…….and the whole
cast of characters that keep showing up in my mind clamoring to
be made into three dimensional copper form.”
Cobb is a North Carolina native, growing up in the middle of the
state and making his way to the coastal area as soon as possible.
He, his wife, and his two hound dogs reside on a small island in
Myrtle Grove Sound just outside of Wilmington North Carolina. “We
do have a mailbox up the hill on the street,” says Cobb, “
but I tell most people to just turn West at marker 146 on the Intracoastal
Waterway.”
What started as a hobby, now keeps Cobb hopping six days a week
to keep up with demand. He began by making realistic game fish out
of copper sheet and learned to coax the iridescent colors from the
metal using the heat of his oxy acetylene torch, much like using
a paint brush. From the spots of a speckled trout to the stripes
and varied colors of a full sized Blue Marlin, Cobb’s accurate
realism made him regionally well known when just a novice.
Cobb’s marsh front home is surrounded with long legged shore
birds, making the graceful herons a natural subject matter for his
sculptures. Every detail is hand hammered into these breathtaking,
full sized birds. On completion of the metal work, he forces a natural
patina on the copper using a precise formula that gives the bird
realistic color that will last as long as the sculpture itself.
And Then came the frogs.
The first large whimsical frog was patterned after Old Toad
from the book, The Wind and the Willows. He wore a vest and
morning coat and carried a brass oil lamp. Cobb fashioned five more
large frogs for his first one man show in Wilmington North Carolina.
This first show also included many copper fish, birds, crabs, shrimp
and sea turtles; thirty pieces in all. The show sold out in two
weeks sending Cobb scampering back to his studio to try and manage
this new career that had just been launched.
Cobb hand draws each piece, then cuts them from sheets of copper.
They are then hammered and folded into the desired shape much like
origami. The pieces are assembled with a brazing process of solid
copper, usually around a steel armature to give the sculpture the
strength to last for many generations. Last comes the finish, either
from a chemically forced patina or a colorful pattern coaxed from
the metal using the heat.
Cobb is now often referred to as the “Frog Man” due
to the hundreds of whimsical, reptilian sculptures he has built
for people throughout the country. “I once wondered if and
when I would ever be considered a serious artist. I now realize
I’m serious all right, serious about my whimsy. I get several
calls and letters each week from people telling me that one of my
sculptures made them smile or laugh. What more could anyone ever
ask for.”
“For me, Andy created a ballet
dancing frog on pointe in a perfect arabesque. She is the focal
point of my backyard, ‘Park in Paris.’ Andy is simply
brilliant, astonishing, unique. I’m delighted to have one
of his pieces in my garden. “
Linda Lavin, Actress
“Our frog is surrounded by flowers.
It is the focal point of our garden. We love him. My wife even makes
outfits for him. This year she made him a Santa Claus suit. It brings
a smile to everyone’s face. And the neat thing is, our frog
is unique in all the world. No two of Andy’s frogs are ever
the same. Each one has its own personality and character. They say
money can’t buy happiness, but I tell you what, our frog pays
happiness dividends.”
Charles Wilson, Mortgage Banker
