Sophie M Cook
b. 1976
In my work, I try to keep an open dialogue between what I'm representing and how I'm translating it to paint on the two dimensional surface. The response is a series of observations, always felt but often technical as I try to resolve how to model a particular surface or make the form turn in space. The battle is finding resolution in a painting without losing traces of each reaction, trying to make each thought process visible in the brush strokes.
For me, the act of drawing and painting is not so much about an accurate representation of form but an honest representation of my feelings about form and why I found the energy to record it. I try to see beyond the object or subject in front of me and register it as an abstraction, a tapestry of intersecting planes connected by colour relationships and tonal shifts. The joy and life can be found in the treatment of the edges of these contours and planes and picking out moments of accent and interest. I use direct painting methods for much of my work but depending on the subject and the desired result, I might use an indirect approach and make a more constructed underpainting.
I mainly work from life for all my still life and figure work but am happy to take on portrait commissions and work from reference material.
Education:
BA History of Art, University of Sussex, 1995-1999
Post Graduate Diploma in Scenic Art, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, 2004-2005
Painting and Drawing Diploma, London Atelier of Representational Art, 2012-2015
Contact:
Email:
Tel: 07848 858 701