Cobane Studio featuring artists Russell & Margaret Cobane of Clarkston Michigan

Born in 1946, Russell Cobane has dedicated a lifetime to the perfection of his awesome talent. He began in his youth as a landscape painter and spent many hours camping and fishing. In his 30's, he was a prominent commercial illustrator with a Madison Avenue artist representative. His love of plants and nature called to his soul and in 1984 he began painting wildlife.

Russell Cobane - artist

Russ has received the following awards and achievements:

1985 Michigan Ducks Unlimited Artist Of The Year Award
1986 Michigan Duck Stamp
1987 Featured Artist Michigan Great Lakes Wildlife Festival
1988 Michigan Trout Stamp
1988 Indiana Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Print
1989 Michigan Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Print
1989 Michigan Ducks Unlimited Artist Of The Year Award
1990 Featured Artist Michigan Wildlife Habitat Foundation Show
1991 Commission Print for the Dominos Pizza Corporation
1992 South Carolina Duck Stamp
1995 Featured Artist Kansas City National Ducks Unlimited Show
1995 Featured Artist at the Michigan Bluebird Festival
1998 Featured Artist Michigan Wildlife Habitat Foundation Show

In addition to the above, Russ won the People's Choice Award at the Michigan Wildlife Habitat Foundation Show for five consecutive years, designed a series of eight collector plates for The Bradford Exchange and designed greeting cards for the National Wildlife Federation and the Humane Society. Cobane's efforts in conservation have earned in excess of $500,000 for Ducks Unlimited alone.

Cobane continues to paint primarily nature subjects, but is interested in exploring other subjects as well. One never knows where his hobbies, such as orchid growing, will take him. A recent agreement with The Hadley Publishing Company will bring his work to a larger audience through The Wooden Bird Stores and The Hadley Dealer Network.

Cobane always has one last finishing touch to add to each painting before he is satisfied that it is complete. Many times visitors to the studio remark on a nearly finished piece, "It looks beautiful to me", but ever the perfectionist, Cobane will add one or two more finishing brushstrokes before he is ready to sign his name to another masterful work of art.

"Painting is just a small part of the joy of being an artist. The real reward comes when collectors fall in love with a painting or print and choose it for their very own. This really gives me a sense of joy and completion," says Cobane.