Richard P. Cook


Richard Peter Cook is an English portrait and landscape artist working predominantly in oils and watercolour. Graduating from the Royal Academy Schools in 1975, he was elected an associate of the Royal Society of British Artists the same year, becoming a full member in 1976.

Biography

Cook was born in the fishing town of Grimsby. He studied painting and sculpture at the local Grimsby School of Art, before moving to Maidstone. There, he was taught by painters William Bowyer, Fred Cuming, and Alex Koolman at Maidstone College of Art. Cook was invited to complete a three-year postgraduate course at the Royal Academy Schools in London, where he was influenced by his tutor, the Keeper of the RA Schools and leading portraitist, Peter Greenham. Encouraged by William Bowyer, Cook applied to the Royal Society of British Artists' annual exhibitions, and his work was selected in 1973 and 1974. Cook was then nominated by Bowyer for membership to the society, becoming an associate member in 1975 and promoted to a full member in 1976. In 1980 Cook was invited to hold a solo exhibition at the RA Schools Galleries.
Cook volunteered to demonstrate portraiture and landscape painting for a decade at Art in Action at Waterperry between 1989 and 1999. He later taught at Lancing College between 2007 and 2019.
Cook lives and works in Brighton, East Sussex, with his wife, Christine Cook; they have two daughters, Naomi and Saskia.

Art

″I prefer to work from life, often drawing on the spot, making colour notes in the case of landscape or even very basic watercolour sketches to catch the light, colour and atmosphere.
For oils, I enjoy working on acrylic gesso primed canvas - linen preferably, with a fairly fine tooth. Drawing basic geometry of the composition in charcoal or soft pencil is the first job, after which I strengthen the line with dark umber. I build up the paint, thick and thin, with hog hair and sable, using a cloth for blending. Landscapes can take days or weeks depending on how much I nag at them. Portraits can take longer because its very important to me and the sitter to get a likeness that pleases us both.″ — Richard P. Cook
File:Dame Beryl Paston Brown by Richard P. Cook.jpg|thumb|Portrait of Dame Beryl Paston Brown, Principal of Homerton College . Painted by Richard P. Cook in 1986 and held in the permanent collection of Homerton College, Cambridge University.
File:Spring Afternoon on the Thames by Richard P. Cook.jpg|thumb|Cityscape Spring Afternoon on the Thames by Richard P. Cook. Including London Eye, River Thames and the Palace of Westminster including Big Ben.

Selected exhibitions

Group

Other selected group exhibitions at the New [English Art Club], Royal Watercolour Society, Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, Royal Overseas League, Bankside Gallery, Towner Eastbourne and Brighton Festival.

Collections