Richard Peter Cook (born 1949 in

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

) is an English

portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this ...

and

landscape artist Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent composi ...

working predominantly in

oils An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturat ...

and

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

. Graduating from the

Royal Academy Schools The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...

in 1975, he was elected an associate of the

Royal Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fi ...

the same year, becoming a full member in 1976.

Biography

Cook was born in the fishing town of

. He studied painting and sculpture at the local

Grimsby School of Art Grimsby School of Art (est. in 1886) is a British art school in North East Lincolnshire, England. It is part of the Grimsby Institute since 2004. History Grimsby School of Art's history can be traced back 1886, when an Art Class was established in ...

, before moving to

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

. There, he was taught by painters

William Bowyer William Bowyer may refer to: Politicians *William Bowyer (15th century MP), in 1411 MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme *William Bowyer (died 1602), MP for Stafford *William Bowyer (Keeper of the Records), MP for Westminster and Keeper of the Records in th ...

Fred Cuming Frederick George Rees Cuming (February 16, 1930 – 12 June, 2022), normally known as Fred Cuming, was a contemporary British landscape painter, who worked in a traditional manner. Life and art Cuming was born in London of English, Scottish ...

, and Alex Koolman at

Maidstone College of Art The Kent Institute of Art & Design (KIAD, often ) was an art school based across three campuses in the county of Kent, in the United Kingdom. It was formed by the amalgamation of three independent colleges: Canterbury College of Art, Maidstone Col ...

. Cook was invited to complete a three-year postgraduate course at the

in London, where he was influenced by his tutor, the Keeper of the RA Schools and leading portraitist,

Peter Greenham Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

. Encouraged by William Bowyer, Cook applied to the

' 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 Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

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 Lancing College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in southern England, UK. The school is located in West Sussex, east of Worthing near the village of Lancing, on the south coast of Engl ...

between 2007 and 2019. Cook lives and works in Brighton,

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

, 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 Gesso (; "chalk", from the la, gypsum, from el, γύψος) is a white paint mixture consisting of a binder mixed with chalk, gypsum, pigment, or any combination of these. It is used in painting as a preparation for any number of substrates suc ...
primed canvas -
linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
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

Selected exhibitions

Solo

: 1980 — ''Richard Cook RBA: Paintings, Drawings and Watercolours'', Royal Academy Schools' Gallery, Royal Academy of Arts, London :: With

exhibition catalogue There are two types of exhibition catalogue (or exhibition catalog): a printed list of exhibits at an art exhibition; and a directory of exhibitors at a trade fair or business-to-business event. Art or museum exhibition catalogues Catalogues for ...

Group

: 1973– — ''Summer Exhibition'',

Royal Academy of Arts The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purp ...

, London :: (Ten exhibitions: 1973, 1976–81, 1983, 1993 and 1996) : 1973– — ''Annual Exhibition'',

Mall Galleries Mall commonly refers to a: * Shopping mall * Strip mall * Pedestrian street * Esplanade Mall or MALL may also refer to: Places Shopping complexes * The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria * The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India ...

, London :: (Fifty-two exhibitions: 1973–2024 inclusive) : 1984 — ''

John Player Portrait Award The BP Portrait Award is an annual portraiture competition held at the National Portrait Gallery in London, England. It is the successor to the John Player Portrait Award. It is the most important portrait prize in the world, and is reputed ...

'', National Portrait Gallery, London ::Cook's portrait of his wife, ''Christine in a Red Dress'' was selected for the exhibition. : 1991– — ''

Sunday Times Watercolour Competition Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday i ...

'', Mall Galleries, London :: (Six exhibitions: 1991, 1993 and 1996 as the ''

Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander was a financial services provider offering corporate and investment banking services to small and medium-sized companies, as well as wealth management services for high-net-worth individuals. Primary areas of acti ...

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, wh ...

Watercolour Competition,'' then 2008, 2014 and 2019 as the ''

RWS/Sunday Times Watercolour Competition The RWS/Sunday Times Watercolour Competition is nationwide competition promoting the art of painting in water-based media. It was launched in 1988 as the Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander / Sunday Times Watercolour Competition, through sponsorship ...

'') :: Traveling to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. : 2022 — ''Winners: Award Winning Artists 2020-2022'', Mall Galleries, London ::Inaugural biannual

Federation of British Artists The Federation of British Artists (FBA) consists of nine art societies, and is based at Mall Galleries in London where the societies' Annual Exhibitions are held. The societies represent living artists working in the United Kingdom who create co ...

exhibition, inviting prizewinners from its constituent arts societies to exhibit new work. :'' Laing Landscape Exhibition'', Mall Galleries, London :: (Three exhibitions) Other selected group exhibitions at the

New English Art Club The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and ...

Royal Watercolour Society The Royal Watercolour Society is a British institution of painters working in watercolours. The Society is a centre of excellence for water-based media on paper, which allows for a diverse and interesting range of approaches to the medium of wat ...

Royal Society of Portrait Painters The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a charity based at Carlton House Terrace, SW1, London that promotes the practice and appreciation of portraiture. Its Annual Exhibition of portraiture is held at Mall Galleries, and it runs a commissio ...

Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours The Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI), initially called the New Society of Painters in Water Colours, is one of the societies in the Federation of British Artists, based in the Mall Galleries in London. History In 1831 the s ...

Royal Overseas League The Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) is a not-for-profit members' organisation with international headquarters in its clubhouse in central London, England. Founded by Sir Evelyn Wrench in 1910 as the Over-Seas Club, it was given a Royal Charter ...

Bankside Gallery Bankside Gallery is a public art gallery in Bankside, London, England. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1980, Bankside is an educational charity, situated on the Thames Path just along from Tate Modern. The gallery is home to the Royal Watercolou ...

Towner Eastbourne Towner Eastbourne (formerly Towner Art Gallery) is an art gallery located in Eastbourne, East Sussex, on the south coast of England. In 2019, German artist Lothar Götz was chosen from a call out to design a mural for the building's exterior ...

and

Brighton Festival Brighton Festival is a large, annual, curated multi-arts festival in England. It includes music, theatre, dance, circus, art, film, literature, debate, outdoor and family events, and takes place in venues in the city of Brighton and Hove in Engl ...

Awards

:1974 — Sir David Murray Landscape Award,

:1975 — Elizabeth T. Greenshields Award (Travelling Scholarship to France and Portugal) :1982 — Richard Ford Travelling Scholarship (

Prado Museum The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...

, Spain) ::Administered by the

and Sir Brinsley Ford. :1989 — First and Third Prize, Art Pavilion,

Royal Bath and West Show The Royal Bath and West is an agricultural show for the West of England. Held every year at its permanent show ground near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, it is one of a number of County shows in the United Kingdom and is a four-day show. In 2009 a ...

:1991 — Second Prize, Art Pavilion, Royal Bath and West Show :2015 —

Winsor & Newton Winsor & Newton (also abbreviated W&N) is an English manufacturing company based in London that produces a wide variety of fine art products, including acrylics, oils, watercolour, gouache, brushes, canvases, papers, inks, graphite and ...

Watercolour Award, Reynolds Club ::The Reynolds Club is an association of past students of the Royal Academy Schools, it was founded in 1949 and named after

Sir Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depende ...

. :2023 — Michael Harding Art Materials Award,

Collections

Homerton College Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the c ...

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

**Portrait of Dame

Beryl Paston Brown Dame Beryl Paston Brown, (7 March 1909 – 25 July 1997) was a British academic and educator. Career Beryl Paston Brown was born in London and educated at Streatham Hill High School and Newnham College, Cambridge. She did a teacher training c ...

(1909–1997), Principal of Homerton College (1961–1971), painted in 1986. **Portrait of Jean Holm, painted in 1999. *

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery, formerly Manchester City Art Gallery, is a publicly owned art museum on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre. The main gallery premises were built for a learned society in 1823 and today its collection occupies three ...

**''View from the Studio'' (1984)

References

External links

* *
Artist Profile
at the

Artist Profile
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Richard P. Living people 1949 births English contemporary artists 20th-century English painters 21st-century English painters English male painters 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists Alumni of the University for the Creative Arts Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools Artists from Grimsby, Lincolnshire