Reflections in Colour

Dan Cook is a British painter, born in Cambridge and raised in Southeast England.
Currently living near St Ives Bay in Cornwall.

Drawing has always been at the forefront of his learning, from early childhood to present day. With a working background in commercial illustration, Dan has produced artworks for a
broad range of brands, theatre and design installations, taking his art-working techniques to
digital formats.

The last two years has seen a steep curve away from those processes and outcomes.
‘Reflections In Colour’ embraces Dan’s personal and immediate perception of the natural
environment through oil paint and pencil.

Dan’s process involves a constant effort to decode and record an ever-changing theme. It
could be the light, a surface or just a place and atmosphere that dictates the artwork. In
collecting personal responses to his environment, the need for a physical unique
representation of these responses has become essential, compelling and urgent.
Working primarily on wood panel provides a solid platform for much of the wall art. Each
piece starts from a visual plan but often the first physical markings begin on the final piece
itself.

This is memory work. A reminder of a place or a sensation felt, rather than an attempt to
represent a whole view or arrangement. The current collection passes a thread through
stone surfaces, refracted daylight, and how the eye delivers us colour, suffused, distorted or
in focus.

Thinned inky paint mixes and patiently built layers search out the well-kept secrets of natural water. Etching, scraping and sanding connects with a solid surface. Staring into ponds and stroking rocks is something of a pastime.

All artworks are started and completed in a small studio space.

Some quotes:
‘There is a moment when consciousness flickers into gear. Hopefully, sometimes the
subconscious is left suspended, just for a moment. Colours, shapes and mood are caught in
the act.’

‘Sometimes the origins are clear and understood, and other times it comes from the
unknowable. A tangle of the two is always welcome.’

‘Reaching out a hand to the moments that previously edged out along the wall.’

‘I’m not surrounded by sketches or colour samples when painting. There are a few bits and
pieces around but it’s not how I work.’