Biography:
Tony was born in England and emigrated to Canada in 1956. He spent the following 40 years in the photographic and audovisual industry. In latter years, he ran his own digital imaging and creative production house in Toronto, where he lives.
Tony has no formal art training, but over the years he has dabbled in various art forms, in addition to photography and computer graphics. In the late 1970s, he discovered wood carving and joined the Ontario Wood Carvers Assocation (OWCA). Studying with famed carving teachers Joe Dampf, Benoit Deschenes and Wayne Barton, he developed his own style of interpretive carving and went on to teach relief carving to others. He served as President of the OWCA during the 1980s. He has shown his carvings at OWCA shows and at the Canadian National Exhibition.
Looking for other artistic outlets, he discovered watercolour painting and has studied with several teachers, including Ruth Hayes and Barry Coombs.
“I consider myself a beginner with watercolour and continue to search for a style that suits my disposition. After spending many years working with technology and computer graphics, I find painting and carving pleasing to the soul. As with wood carving, I am not a realist, but as to what my style will eventually become, is anyone’s guess! As regards contemporary painters, I am a particular fan of Jeanne Carbonetti, Charles Reid and the Welsh painter David Bellamy”.
Contact Tony at: watercolour@tonycook.ca or
Telephone: 416-489-1685 or 647-463-2344 (mobile)
Website:
www.tonycook.ca
Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonycook-artwork/sets/72157622609224559/
Groups of Artists:
- North York Visual Artists
- North Toronto Group of Artists
- Willowdale Group of Artists
- Bayview Watercolour Society
- Toronto Watercolour Society