Hello,
I keep wondering whatever happened to an old artist friend, and thought maybe you could help me find out. I’m assuming you must know lots of artists there.
This artist, whose name is ZOC, lived in Kona, out on the spit of land on the north end of Kealakekua Bay, and visiting him involved paddling across the bay, or hiking a long trail down from the road. A hermit type of guy, he was building his home out of lava rock – a home in the shape of a dragon. This was in the mid-80s. He was a friend and contemporary of Salvador Dali when he lived in the “real” world. I once traded him some fibreglass and resin for a wonderful contemporary tableau, and have it framed and hanging in my house. I never know is real name, just Zoc.
Mahalo.
Teia Maman
Soustons FRANCE
Zoc was my stepfather for 3 years in Berkely in the late ’50′s, early 1960′s. He still keeps in touch with my mother on occassion.
I have a welded sculpture of a bird (metal—not sure what—) he made in ’62.
I understand that he is ill but still living.
Lisa
P.S. His real name was Robert (also Aubert) Cox
I lived with Zoc in a warehouse in Berkeley in 1964 for many months. He made copper sculptures and painted in a very thick chocolate chip style of brush strokes. He did a painting of JFK and sent it to the White House, but they sent it back.
He was a lovely, gentle man. I believe he crushed all of his copper sculptures for the show.
The warehouse was on a rail road where many trains went by a day, never slowing down. The warehouse was next to Peter Volkous’s workshop, where he made all sorts of advanced pottery and clay sculptures.
Is this the same Aubert Zok?
Chris
I would love to find out where he is, if he is still alive and if not, where he died.
Chris, Zoc just contacted my mother (Carolyn Hawley)–they were married for a few years in the early ’60s. He is srtill living and I guess he had a stroke but he is still creating. He lives in Hawaii.
My mom just sent me clippings of some of the metal sculptures he did when they were married–I still have one of his smaller pieces. My mom also sent me clippings of the house he/they built in El Sobrante around 1959-1960-ish.
It has to be the same guy…. he worked in metals and high heat–lots of birds and eagles and interesting shaped abstracts and even some medallions as jewelry. Total old school Berkeley hippie. He was “with” a woman named Alexis for many years in the ’60s as well.
Contact me if you want to share stories about him; I am in the SF area.
He was my stepfather. My mom still has newspaper clippings about him back then and they are such poor quality; I was trying to find the Chronicle archives to get better quality prints of him and his work.
Lisa
Lisalar AT yahoo DOT com
Lisa:
Thanks so much for writing. Yes. He must be the same person. Somehow your mother’s name has a familiar ring. I don’t have any pictures or mementoes from that period. Clear memories, particularly of his beautiful copper birds.
Tall, thin, graceful, had had his tubes tied at some point earlier in his life, or so he said. He wore a beard and his hair long. Yes, a Berkeley hippie (as many of us were in those days). Loved life.
It would be wonderful to be able to contact him. Wonder what the stroke has done to his memory. He must be in his 90s now.
you can reach me directly at: cforbes@forbeselderlaw.com.
I live in Alexandria, VA and work in downtown DC. My own solo elder law practice. Quite a long way from the early 1960s.
Chris–I’ll contact you directly.
Lisa
Chris, I wrote you at the address you listed and have not heard back, thought maybe you’d check here too…Would you like his mailing address? My mom thought it would be fine if i passed that along but would rather do that off of this site so please respond via email if you would like me to send that to you.
Lisa
Hi Teia,
It’s been a long time since I’ve had any news from you and since your e-mail has changed, I found you on the net. How are you and the boys ?
We’re fine here, juggling between translating and teaching, for a change. We went skiing in Jura for the holidays, that was great fun !
Send news
Love
Nathalie & co.
still
nalaba@wanadoo.fr
This is to inform you who knew and appreciated Zoc…aka Aubert Cox….
That he passed away from a stroke on March 18th or 19th in his home in Hawaii. He is believed to have been 88 years old.
He lived an amazing life of creativity and passion.
Lisa
One of my cousins and I are putting together a genealogical tree for our family. I don’t know whether we are related or not to Aubert Cox but I would appreciate it if someone might be able to tell me where he was born and, if possible, the names of his parents and siblings.
Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.
We are sorry for your loss.
Darryl;
Cox is a pretty common name, as I am sure you know. Zoc was born on an Indian reservation somewhere near the Wabash river, not sure whether Indiana or Ohio…
We have searched records and kind find any ention of any siblings or even parents’ names. However I am still searching so if anything comes up and you are still interested, I will post it.
Lisa,
Yes, Cox is a fairly common surname. Many people are not aware, for example, that it is among the one hundred most common surnames in the United States. Nonetheless, my and cousin and I have had some success in finding other branches of our family tree.
Last week, for example, she found a great-great aunt who was one of our great-grandfather’s sisters. This aunt left her identity as a black woman behind and crossed the color line in order to pursue a “better” life. My cousin has contacted this aunt’s descendants and, surprisingly, we discovered that they knew she was black. They are interested in knowing more about her birth family, too.
We are interested in finding out more about our relatives’ journey in America. Aubert may not have any connection with us save our common surname or a remore relative in Northern Ireland.
Thank you for any information you are willing to share.
I was sorry to hear of Zoc’s passing. He was just about the last of the Berkeley friends that Marty and I shared during our short marriage. He was crazed even then, and did a lot to open our minds to the way of the artist. I remember the house in El Sobrente that he and Carolyn shared and the object he cast to use as a tolet flush. But was it art?
FromCarolyn to Judith –she also asked about Marty if you know where he is, etc—you can reply to me, and I will send it along to her…
Hi Judith and Marty! So glad to hear from you again…so you still remember the canyon house and special flusher! Amazing…yes, he was very ingenius I thought…he did have a long and colorful life for sure, and is missed by many…including me and the kids…we miss him still.
Up to the end he kept sending us things, I have many scawled letter from him and dozens ofr photos of his work since coming to Hawaii, but havent seen him…I knew he had a stroke..
I still have Marty’s monochromatic painting of nudes in brown color hanging up on my wall. Still love that painting called “creative love however”…tell him please…I heard from Claire a few years ago but not since…hope she is allright…tell her hello for me too.
Carolyn
Hi Lisa
Thanks for sending the message from Carolyn. Could you please share this with her?
I left Marty in December 1964 and within a week he’d run off with Chickie Strand. They moved to LA, he became Neon Park and was quite well known for record album covers. (Google Neon Park) Chickie got her Master’s and taught film. They had been together for almost 30 years when Marty died of ALS in 1993. Chickie passed last July. I only know this because I was fortunate enough to reconnect with my daughter Maya Muller (after 38 years). Are you on Facebook? If so, check out pictures of Maya and the rest of my wonderful. Yes, I’m still Judith Muller. It seemed to be the right name to use.
Hope all is well with you and who is Claire? I don’t remember her.
Judith, my mom was saddened to hear about Marty’s passing. Claire was his aunt who mom thinks is still living in Berkeley….I believe that’s how mom and Marty met.
Take care–
Lisa
Hi again
If Claire was Marty’s aunt, I’d really like to know more about her. Our daughter Maya never mentioned her and I wonder if she even knows Claire exists. I keep trying to fill in the pieces of family history for her. She’s had a lot to catch up on.
Thanks, Judith
Judith, I’ll send your note on to my mom, but I knew Claire as well and I hope she is still living; a wonderful lady; full of joy and life. Big woman…FUNNY as can be…I hope she is still living; not sure how to find her except to search in the Berkeley area. I am still in the process of hunting down more about Zoc but I’ll try to find more about Claire as well.
Is there a way you can offer up your email adress so you and my mom can communicate off of this board? i am on facebook—you an contact me there…Lisa Largent—and maybe give me your email addy and I can send to mom. Thanks–I know how important it is for people to find their history, relatives, etc–I wish Maya much luck.
Lisa
geezul@comcast.net. Or try Judith Muller on FB. Red top, big smile…
thanks
Judith
Does anyone know if Zoc ever exhibited his paintings in a gallery or museum? Has any of his works been published? Thanks!
Owen, back in the ’60s Zoc had exhibits all over the Bay area—I have an old photo from 1961 of him at the l Cerrito Arts fair with amny of his works there.
I don’t think he ever registered or published his work though. I’ll ask my mom.
Lisa
Zoc made many architectiural sculptures from various metals throughout the bay area, SF and Berkeley especially. There are gates, outdoor wallpieces, fountains etc all over the area, and he was highly respected there as an metal sculptor in the ’60′se
I have a portrait of Zoc I took in Berkeley about 1962 a close-up of him with cigar.
I visited at the el Sobrante house with iron owl on rooftop, took more pictures, but we lost touch. I’ve tried for years to locate him.
Who is best to contact ?
Richard…retired on San Mateo Coastside
Richard, please feel free to email me that I might connect you with my mom, Carolyn, Zoc’s wife at the time you met him in El Sobrante.
Lisa
How about posting your pictures on line, if possible. It would be great.
Lisa, I trust all ended well?
Chris
We are in the process of putting a catalogue together for the sale of art from San Francisco /Palo Alto from the 1950,s and1960s. We have a GRAND BELLA musical instrument made by Aubert Zoc beautifully crafted. Advice is that it is unique. If Anyone has information or interest in this instrument we would love to hear from you
Tony, you can email me at
Lisalar@yahoo.com
My mom, brother and I would love to know what became of the Bella and have a lot of information about the history of the instrument.. The last I heard it played was at my mom’s house in Ukiah in 1977 at my wedding; Zoc played it that day. It was in my mom’s possession for many years and she recalls it needing some repair but cannot recall what eventually happened to it . Thank you.
Yes, I replied directly on my email re this. Please note: This instrument was unique and beautiful. Zoc left it with my mom, Carolyn Hawley, his ex-wife. It exchanged hands down the years but I remember growing up with it in our living room… I sent a direct reply; my mom is the best person to ask about the history of the Grand Bella. I am happy to know that it
thas survived all of these years.
Lisa
All,
My name is Lorin Hawley; I’m Lisa’s brother and Carolyn Hawley’s son. Zoc was our (Lisa and my) stepfather in the very early 1960s. We were with him when he designed and built his 11-sided house in El Sobrante. We (my mom, Lisa, and I) had intermittent contact with Zoc over the next 40-plus years, and I have a short handwritten letter from him sent only a few weeks before he died. I also remember the Bella: as Lisa said, it was a fixture in our living room for many years. I don’t know what happened to it, but my mom Carolyn would know if anyone does. Though this is a cliche’, the phrase “larger than life” could have been invented in order to describe Zoc!
Lorin
loporopin@yahoo.com
Aloha, I live on the Big Island of Hawaii in Kona and represent the owner of several original Zoc paintings. Are you interested in seeing any images? I can be reached at owen808@gmail.com, thanks for your time.
Owen
Aloha Owen,
I am very interested in seeing some of Zoc’s paintings and other art works. I have gone to what we called “Zoc’s Castle” at Ka`awaloa in Kealakekua Bay many times and still do. His habitation he built there there was a serpentine, circular rock wall enclosing a courtyard with a fig tree. One end is a roofed cabin, also made with lava rock walls. There is a cistern and a shower there. It’s all primitive yet very beautiful.
I often saw Zoc around South Kona when he lived in Ocean View, Hawaii where he made and wore assorted elf costumes. He was a fascinating man and should be remembered in some kind of retrospective.
Betsy Morrigan kayaklady@hawaii.rr.com 808-328-8911
I just found this website and would like to add that I knew Zoc briefly in late 1964. He gave me and my fiance a large (48″H x 36″W) oil painting – a woman’s face – done in the “chocolate chip” (stipple) style mentioned above. He was definitely a unique and interesting individual. If you’d like to see it, contact me at maryulibarri@comcast.net.
Mary I am so glad you posted here! Isn’t it wonderful to know how far reaching Zoc’s creative works have spread, and how deeply he touched others? I really wish someone with a gallery and the wherewithall could put a show together with the pieces we have among us friends and family.
Lisa
Hi,Do you know if he travelled in Europe,as a friend of mine in the Netherlands told me that a guy called Zoc painted a large mural on a wall outside the building that was ”Sleep inn 1” a sort of hostal that accommodated freaks visiting Amsterdam.My friends name was Tommy, I think they met in the states around the bicentenary when Tommy sailed the length of the missisippi in a boat made from VW microbuses . Could it be him?
Here is what my mom, his ex-wife Carolyn Hawley, wrote:
“It most likely is Zoc…yes, he travelled Europe…and made murals on
walls along the way…I dont know a Tommy, but it sure sounds like Zoc. He
told us in the late1970′s that he’s been traveling the world and making “monuments”
wherever he went, so I have no doubts at all that this was him, especially
because of the venue…place and effect.>Go ahead and approve this
message.
He did exactly what he intended: world fame. He sure was one of a kind.”
I asked my mom and brother about this and they are almost positive it would have been Zoc. He did travel to Europe and told my mom that he had been painting murals. I’ll copy-paste her comments in a moment–but do you know where in Amsterdam this was? I intend to be in Amsterdam this fall and would love to go and see it; I would recognize his work anywhere, that is if it hasn’t been painted-over, etc.