Cook sometimes paints composite compositions (as did the 19th-century artists), combining elements from different locations into one piece. “That way I can create a more classical composition, and I can play with the light,” he says. Many times he’ll find a location when he’s out hiking in the middle of the day, “but the light is kind of flat at that hour.” He’ll invent a more dramatic light-filled sky for the scene back in the studio, creating an atmosphere in the painting that conveys that sense of longing that he’s after.
Cook paints in oils on canvas primarily, but has done some gouaches (opaque watercolors) in the last few years. Occasionally he’ll sell the preliminary sketches to collectors, but not too often. “I tend to be of the mind that those are just for me, and are not necessarily meant to be seen by others,” he says. He notes that one of his favorite artists, the English painter John Constable (1776-1837), did a lot of quick oil sketches of skies and clouds that are admired by our contemporary tastes for their “loose and brushy” quality. “Those were really meant just for his own study and use, though, and would have been done up to a high level of detail in the finished paintings. We look at them and think, ‘These are amazing paintings,’ but he would be mortified to know that those are out there in frames now.”
Cook was named a Painting Fellow by the New York Foundation for the Arts, and in 2009, his work was exhibited at the American Consulate in Hong Kong as part of the Art in Embassies program, established in 1963 as a diplomatic venture to connect our culture with that of other countries. Cook exhibits through several galleries locally, with a recent exhibit at the Main Street Gallery in Windham and a half-dozen works currently on display at the Gray Owl Gallery at the Water Street Market in New Paltz. A larger showing of his work will be exhibited there beginning on May 18. Gallery-owner and director Paty Lott says that what she loves about Cook’s paintings is the color palette, “so true to what the 19th-century Hudson River School painters used,” and his ability to achieve the same atmospheric quality in the light, while providing a sometimes-unexpected viewpoint of otherwise-familiar locations.
Cook expects to have about 20 new pieces for the show: a mix of Hudson River and Shawangunk Mountain views. He’s working on the paintings now in preparation, saying that he sometimes wishes that he had an inventory of works to draw from for exhibits, as many artists do, “because it would mean that I wouldn’t have to work quite so hard; but then if I had too much of an inventory…then that would not be so good either,” he laughs. “I’ve been very, very lucky in that I tend to sell almost everything I do.”
Cook also offers painting lessons out of his home studio. “I really enjoy it,” he says. “I love being able to open up my studio and have it be a very specific experience for the students coming in. To come right into the artist’s own studio, in the artist’s own space – it’s kind of special.” His students range in age from 19 to 80, and he limits class size to four students each in either basic or advanced courses, taught Thursdays through Saturdays. “It’s kind of a one-room schoolhouse, where everyone is at a different level; but with so few students, I’m able to get around to everybody.”
Cook is also a guest educator at the Dorsky Museum at SUNY-New Paltz on the first Sunday of every month, giving a guided tour of the galleries (free of charge) to visitors. He’ll speak about whatever is currently on exhibit at the time, he says. “I got involved at the Dorsky back in 2009, when they had a large Hudson River School exhibition; and because of my interest in that subject matter, I was a good fit to help interpret the show to tour groups. Since then, it’s evolved into a more steady gig, and I enjoy doing it because I get to talk about many kinds of art – some quite different than my own.” The next gallery tour at the Dorsky with Cook will take place on Sunday, March 3 at 2 p.m., followed by tours on April 7, May 5 and June 2.
Kevin Cook, landscape painter and teacher; www.kevincook.com.
