About John Cuocco

The artist

John Cuocco has worked in pen and ink since 1963. His style came as much from trial and error as from studying the masters. Over the years he added colored inks and watercolor pencil to his black ink line work, and his close attention to detail has become his signature.

Many of his pieces come from the places he has lived: the towns, harbors and beaches of Long Island, the villages and mountains of upstate New York, and now the light and color of Southwest Florida.

Vietnam, and the drawings in the Smithsonian

For more than 30 years he kept the rest put away. After watching Ken Burns' "The Vietnam War" on PBS, he brought them out as the Let It Be collection, to honor those who gave their all and the brothers who came home. His American Heroes Collection (2017) honors today's veterans.

Dioramas in museums

John also builds museum-quality dioramas: three-dimensional scenes researched down to the smallest detail, with landscapes and buildings made from scratch and every figure hand painted, in 1:35, 1:43 and 1:87 scale. His dioramas are on display at:

  • Vanderbilt Museum, Centerport, NY: "Car Coming", the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race grandstand and press box, with 235 hand-made figures; and "Over & Under", the 1908 race on the Long Island Motor Parkway.

  • Nassau County Firefighters Museum, Uniondale, NY: two fully animated fire scenes taken from real fire department photos, and a 6 x 10 foot model of the Nassau County Fire Academy in Old Bethpage.

In John's words

"Being an artist is all-consuming. Whether cowering in an Asian rainforest, slogging through a rice paddy, hustling along an urban avenue, strolling a country lane, conversing with another person, or reflecting in solitude, I have always been engaged in collecting, organizing, visualizing, and creating virtual paintings and dioramas… After years of fitting time for artwork into a busy schedule, I decided to ignore 'good sense,' and to devote myself entirely to what I care most about. That decision has turned out to be the wisest of my life… It is my ultimate goal to reflect in my art the beauty of all that surrounds me."

Prints

John keeps his originals. His work is offered as fine-art giclée prints, matted, in four sizes. Prints are made by his longtime printer in New York and shipped straight to you.

What collectors say

"When opening my new office, I didn't know what art I wanted until I came upon this website. Now it's all over my office… my clients love it as I do." Brian Farakas, Barons Financial Strategies, Bohemia, NY

"Our favorite is the 'Vanderbilt Cup Races'… it's amazing how people seem to spot that piece from all the other rooms in our home." Ben & Lucille G., Naples, FL

"I own three pieces of John's artwork. My favorite is the 'Winter Solace'; it looks amazing in my Florida home." Susan S., Estero, FL

Questions people ask

Who is John Cuocco? A pen and ink artist in Naples, Florida, and a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran. He has been drawing since 1963 and builds museum-quality dioramas.

Does he take commissions? Yes: drawings of homes, cars, boats and firehouses.