Lisa Cook Fine Art Gallery
www.llcook.com
I was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, lived for many years in Los Angeles, and in 2002, moved to Lake Arrowhead, California, with my husband and 5 cats.
I owned a record store in west Los Angeles for 20 years. It was called Record Rover and was located at 12204 Venice Blvd. We specialized in collectable vinyl records and 45 singles. We also carried an extensive CD section. I closed it in 2000 and moved into the clouds to Lake Arrowhead, CA.
I received my art training from the University of New Orleans and also from Loyola Marymount University of Los Angeles, where I earned a BA in Fine and Studio Arts. I was awarded several art scholarships, and was the recipient of the Eugene Escallier Award. In the work-study program, I spent 3 years photographing, mounting, and archiving thousands of slides which were to be used in Art History lectures and classes.
Relocating to Lake Arrowhead has profoundly influenced the subject matter of my paintings. I had traditionally painted commissioned portraits and the female figure, almost exclusively. Once I was settled, I found myself compelled to try and capture the wonder of this mountain environment. Landscapes, which had never figured in my work previously, began to flow forth from my brush. Soon, there were bears, then fairies, and even squirrels!
Oil on canvas is my preferred medium, but I also craft 3-dimensional “found art†multimedia pieces. I like to indulge in watercolors and pencil sketching. I have spent the past 20 years as a graphic designer and desktop publisher. I have created numerous CD and album covers for New Orleans music labels such as Vigotone, Peg-Boy, Howdy! and Madman Records. Additionally, I have been commissioned for many portraits, pets and people.
After painting, my second love is photography. The project I cherish the most is my photography book, published in 1998; “Consecrated Ground: Funerary Art of New Orleans†. This book attempts to chronicle nine particular cemeteries, each located in New Orleans, La. The work within this volume reveals a collection of artistic memorials ranging the entire spectrum, from massive, costly monuments spiking heavenwards, to the most humble, handmade remembrances. The graves depicted are in various states of maintenance, from the pristine to the totally collapsed and desecrated. These opposites evidence what many consider uniquely characteristic of New Orleans. See pics from the book, and even order your own copy at: www.llcook.com
I have had the honor of being featured in my own art show, held at The Dogwood Fine Art Gallery in Skyforest, CA. The show was titled "Lisa Cook and the 13 Coffins". On display were several of my paintings and multimedia pieces. I also participated in a photography exhibit titled "Environments", also held at the Dogwood Gallery. In this show, my New Orleans cemetery photos were exhibited.
I look forward to my life in this wonderful community, and to meeting the many artists who also reside here. We are all living in a beautiful and enriching environment, and I am sure it will continue to generate many, many beautiful expressions of art.