The paintings

I paint primarily in transparent watercolour.

My work leans to loose abstract/expressionism but I do not restrict my efforts solely to this approach, as I experiment with various styles, including pen and wash drawings, realistic landscapes and still life.

All are for sale.

Biography..

Works in wood

I no longer work in wood as  I  prefer to concentrate on painting. I hope to return to a limited output of wooden creations in the future, especially since my daughter gave me her wood-turning lathe!

None of the carvings are currently for sale.

Buy/Sell Art on line

Tony Cook - Biography

I was born in England and worked as a newspaper reporter before serving in the Royal Artillery for my national service. I wanted to go to Korea with my unit - I mean, free travel and all - but wiser heads prevailed and I was given a War Office job testing new recruits. I emigrated to Canada in 1956 and entered the photographic business, intending to make a career out of my hobby. Surprisingly, I spent the following 40 years in the photographic and audovisual industry in various senior marketing positions. Eventually tiring of the corporate environment, and foolishly forgoing the satisfaction of a regular paycheque, I started my own digital imaging and creative production house in Toronto, where I still live. I am married with three lovely daughters. Lucky Dad.

Over the years, I've enjoyed working in various art forms, in addition to photography and computer graphics. In the late 1970s, I expanded a childhood love of scratching initials on school desks and assorted trees, and began wood carving. I joined the Ontario Wood Carvers Assocation (OWCA), studed with famed carving teachers Joe Dampf, Benoit Deschenes and Wayne Barton, and somehow developed my own style of interpretive carving. I probably wasn't paying attention. I was President of the OWCA during the 1980s, and edited their newsletter and website for several years. I showed my carvings in OWCA competitions and at the Canadian National Exhibition, and was completely ignored by the jurors.

I studied drawing at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2004 and subsequently moved to watercolour painting. Being a Brit, I figured this was the proper medium for me.  I credit teacher Ruth Hayes with giving me assurance that I could handle this medium and Barry Coombs for introducing me to the finer points of brush handling, design and simplification. I have tried to pay attention. I have enjoyed workshops with Art Cunanan, Hi-Sook Barker,  Doug Mays and Marc Gagnon, each of whom has been very patient. 

I am very fortunate to have discovered a friendly and supportive environment within the art clubs that have accepted me as a member.

"After spending many years working with technology and computer graphics, I find painting and carving pleasing to the soul. As with wood carving, I am not a realist, prefering to interpret the natural world in an abstract/impressionist fashion. The painters who inspire me include Jeanne Carbonetti, Charles Reid. Alvaro Castagnet, Joseph Zbukvic and the Welsh painter David Bellamy”.

 

Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonycook-artwork/sets/72157622609224559/ 

I am a member of these Art Associations:

Bayview Watercolour Society     http://bayviewwatercoloursociety.com/index.html

North York Visual Artists             www.nyva.ca

Toronto Watercolour Society       http://torontowatercoloursociety.com/

North Toronto Group of Artists     http://www.ntga.blogspot.com

Willowdale Group of Artists    http://www.willowdaleartists.com/

 

 

 

 

Photo: Courtesy of Larry Herscovitch - Tony painting at Scarborough Bluffs

Shows and exhibits:

2009
North York Visual Artists, 2009 Winter Show and Sale

2010
Bayview Watercolour Society, "Luminosity", Juried Show and Sale, Spring 2010
North York Visual Artists, 2010 Summer Show and Sale
The Shops at Don Mills, Summer Show and Sale, August 2010
North York Visual Artists Studio Tour, October 2010
CPS Annual Competition, Nanaimo, BC, October 2010 - 2nd prize
North Toronto Group of Artists, Yonge-Lawrence BIA Art Walk, November 2010
Bayview Watercolour Society,, Annual Show and Sale, December 2010

2011
North Toronto Group of Artists:
Starbucks, Yonge and Craighurst, Toronto - Month of April 2011
Locke Library - Month of April 2011 (active demo March 19, 2011)
11th Annual Art Tour and Sale April 2011
Yonge-Lawrence BIA Art Walk, October 2011
Starbucks, Yonge and Fairlawn, Toronto - Month of October 2011
Annual Show and Sale, November 2011
North York Visual Artists
2011 Summer Show and Sale, McKay Gallery
2011 Art Tour and Sale, September 2011
CPS Annual Competition, Halifax, NS, October 2011 - 2nd prize
Toronto Watercolour Society
Aquavision Juried Art Show, November 2011
Willowdale Group of Artists
Fall Art Show, November 2011
Artify
Holiday Art & Gift Show, December 2011

2012

A 2011 summer "paint-in" supporting the Mega Quarry protest:

Artists Against The Mega Quarry
Sunday, July 3, 2011
At the Cosack family’s Peace Valley Ranch (Rawhide Adventures)
 638135 Prince of Wales Rd. south off Dufferin County Rd. 21, beside the Bruce Trail
 in support of Art Tourism, NDACT & CAUSE

Our precious Water and Valuable Farmland need our help.
The Beauty of the Hills of the  Headwaters, Mulmur Hills, Caledon Hills and Georgian Bay are all at risk
The Proposed Baupost Mega Quarry in Melancthon Township Must Not Be Built

I am joining 30 other artists in a "paint-in" to support this cause. A painting will be donated to be auctioned later.
Everyone is welcome - come and bring a picnic.

Download details (PDF)

 

Special Donation:

Work donated to the Canadian Power & Sail Squadrons 2013 National Conference fund raiser. Over $500 was raised.

 

 

 

 

And the lucky winner: