Colin Cook

The subject matter and inspiration for my paintings is taken from the north eastern coast and moors and the Lake District. The paintings are representational based on observation of the constantly changing and intriguing light. Most of my paintings are about creating an atmosphere through the use of dramatic light and bold mark making.

Compositional tension is important and hopefully created by the careful arrangement of the different pictorial elements; colour, texture, light etc. The paintings are reliant on careful under-drawing to create the structure for the looser brush marks to sit upon.

The strongest shapes are worked in with large brushes and the smaller areas of specific focus are developed later. I prefer to work with acrylic paints and enjoy the flexibility that working with a water based medium gives. Sometimes the paint is heavily impastoed and on other occasions it is built up in layers or glazes. Acrylic allows for a certain immediacy as it dries fairly quickly.