Themes of the National Parks

David John McCosh’s Themes of the National Parks highlights iconic features of the national parks in the western United States. Dramatic, chimney-like geological features known as hoodoos, found in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park, are the main focus of the mural on the east wall.

McCosh captures the immensity of Half Dome’s granite crest in California’s Yosemite National Park on the west wall. McCosh was born in 1903 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He studied at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Art Students League in New York City. McCosh began his teaching career as an instructor of lithography at the Art Institute of Chicago.

For much of his career, McCosh was a professor of art at the University of Oregon, where he taught painting, drawing, and lithography. McCosh believed firmly that the art of painting is rooted in observation. His artistic style evolved greatly throughout his career. He worked originally as a regionalist painter, but, upon moving to the Northwest in 1934, his style gradually became more abstract. McCosh painted murals for the Chicago World’s Fair for the Century of Progress; the U.S. Post Office in Kelso, Washington; and the U.S. Post Office in Beresford, South Dakota. He also painted several works for the U.S. National Bank in Eugene, Oregon. After his retirement in 1970, McCosh continued to live and paint in Eugene.