Sue Cook apparently “came out of nowhere” in July of this year, to win a highly regarded visual arts prize based in New York. But the question is, do artists ever really come out of nowhere?
Cook’s work was voted 1st prize at an International Visual Art competition hosted at My Art Space by the Cat Mac Art Corporation in the US. Suddenly Cook found herself catapulted from her Yorkshire studio, into the art heart of New York and then off to an artists’ studio in the South of France. As part of the art prize Cook will also have the opportunity to exhibit her dramatically exotic paintings of flowers in the Westwood Gallery in New York next year.
Sue Cook is naturally, “over the moon.” As a mother of two young children not only has she overcome huge obstacles (of time and space) to paint, but she has painted boldly (in terms of colour and form) and has developed into a technologically-savvy businesswoman. However, being celebrated as an “untrained” painter has had its ups and downs for Cook.
In a sense the issue of trained or untrained is a bit of a red herring and hinges on very recent definitions of “trained”. In the past individuals with artistic talent might have been apprenticed to professional artists at a very young age. “Training” as we know it is a fairly recent invention as is the divide between “low” and “high art”. Training can also sometimes be misconstrued as having bestowed talent rather than nurturing and shaping it.
Characterised by boldly coloured flowers, her work is much more than naïve or decorative; terms often applied to untrained artists. Cook’s flowers seem to have personalities, the paintings are like portraits and as such are a little reminiscent of the great American painter, Georgia O’Keefe’s works.
Sue Cook’s outlook is philosophical on the issue, admitting that it “makes me smile…If it moves me in some way, then it’s art in my book. Some “high” art does that for me, some doesn’t. That’s how I value a work of art.” But Cook also concedes that “in my darker less confident days” this distinction did cause her to doubt her own capacities. Adding that, “I remind myself I paint because I love it, and I love how painting makes me feel. And I have to try and sell them so I can afford to buy the next canvas…” By turns good-natured, grounded and modest Cook is a role model for any aspiring artist who for whatever reason has not had the opportunity to study art formally. As Cook herself puts it, “painting isn’t just about mastery – it’s also about spark and I don’t think you can just “learn” that – whichever school you go to.”
As a mother of two Cook’s descriptions of her early days in her kitchen-slash- painting studio will resonate for many women artists who have attempted to maintain an arts practice within the all-consuming realm of motherhood. Cook was encouraged by friends and relatives to sell her work and eventually she offered one for sale on Ebay. When it sold Cook vowed to take on the digital world and went about constructing her own site in the wee “small hours.”
Cook’s work struck an instant and deep chord with her audience, and as a result she has cultivated a successful online arts business selling her works as well as accepting commissions. Cook is one of a growing number of artists who are taking their careers into their own hands. She has developed a site that acts as a 24/7 gallery venue cum art broker for her work. Cook is quick to point out that her web gallery has been a major player in her success as a commercially successful visual artist. “It occurred to me that it would be a lot easier to have an online portfolio…where I could show my work. I also belong to a few forums and one of the forums has 3000 members!” Cook has also been assiduous in her support of other artists by sharing online resources and making a concerted effort to build links that can benefit the online artist community that she is part of. “I try to make sure I spend fifteen minutes each day doing something to promote the website…I also started a studio web blog that has doubled the visits to the site overnight…”
As an artist Sue Cook cites her Welsh grandfather as a major inspiration. “He had dreamed of being an artist and had exceptional talent. He drew and painted constantly and I think hoped it would mean earning a living above ground. In those days nearly all the boys were destined to work down the mine,” says Cook. However, circumstances conspired against him and like many young men wounded and traumatised by the trench warfare of WW1, he survived but never painted again.
Sue adds, that later when she and her, “…sister were growing up, he would spend hours instructing us on how to draw and paint – but would never do it himself…he finally told me why he never drew again – he said that he had seen such horrors in the trenches it was all he could see whenever he lifted a pencil and it just overwhelmed him … But he did tell me shortly before he died 10 years ago, that I should always follow a dream…” And Cook has been true to that advice, saying that some years ago she simply got out of bed one day and decided that, ”everything had to change.”
Sue Cook’s jobs had always been related to her university science degree, but says that, “…when I was 7 months pregnant with my second child…I decided it was time I started living my life the way I wanted to. So, I went and bought myself a set of acrylics and a canvas in November 2004 and started painting in my kitchen when the kids had gone to bed . And I haven’t stopped since.”
As a painter Cook finds her inspiration amongst the fine details of life, in shapes, colours and atmospheres. “I find inspiration all around me, in what I see, who I meet and also how I feel. The random arrangement and colour of a primrose in a hedgerow can give me an idea for a painting. Or the pattern of the shadows of the trees outside…”
Well the orders have just kept coming, and the clients just keep coming back and enough paintings have been sold to pay for Cook’s conversion of a part of the family home into a proper studio. “And I couldn’t be happier – I am so lucky to be able to paint and be at home for the kids, I couldn’t ever consider going back to working in a lab or office ever again….I am finally earning myself a living from painting – I think my grandad would be proud. ”
Looking to the future and the Westwood Gallery Exhibition Cook says, “I’m hoping it means that I start getting accepted for galleries elsewhere. I don’t really think of painting in terms of a “career.” It’s just something I do and it’s now become a part of who I am.” Which just goes to show how with artistic vision, an entrepreneurial spirit and a little bit of web nouse one can achieve wonders when you have a dream to follow.
Sue Cook can be contacted at:
enquiries@picturedreams.co.uk
And as if that wasn’t enough all her prices now include FREE delivery within the United Kingdom.
