Artist's Statement: I paint to express emotion: the emotion and expression of my subject and my reaction to it. I am drawn to bright sunlight and how it affects living subjects. There are so many moments in my life where I want to stop and capture the look on a loved one's face, the light of the sun in a horse's mane, or the feel of a little hand holding mine. I paint to help me remember how beautiful life is, and to help others feel the same.
Hi, I’m Crystal Cook, a watercolor artist who specializes in portraits, both human and animal. I have had a lifelong interest in art. From an early age I loved drawing and capturing expression. As a child I spent hours drawing pictures of animals, mostly horses. I would draw the same horse in the same pose over and over again, trying to get it just right.
Self Portrait
"Peace"
When I became a mother I felt that desire to create art again, this time portraits of children. I wanted to express the powerful love I felt as a mother and also capture the fleeting expressions of childhood. I could see how quickly my children were growing, and I had an intense urge to try and capture them at each stage of their life. It became a way for me to relive those precious memories of our life together as parent and child.
Me with my middle child
"Self Portrait of My Soul"
I have always been drawn to watercolor paintings, the intense colors and the fluidity of the paint intrigued me, but I was also captivated by the challenging nature of watercolor. I wanted to master it. I'm a self-taught artist, except for a beginning watercolor class, which sparked my interest and opened my eyes to all the possibilities of the medium. Most of my knowledge comes from hours studying books and great paintings and then putting it into practice and never giving up.
My work has been included in numerous juried exhibits and competitions across the world. I've held several solo shows and participated in group invitational exhibits as well, garnering some prestigious awards. My paintings are held in the collections of local art museums and corporations and they are enthusiastically collected by patrons from around the world. I also conduct teaching workshops for beginner to advanced artists several times a year. But by far my favorite part of my art career is hearing form someone, or seeing someone, who really 'gets' what I was trying to say. I love to see my paintings move people emotionally, everything else, awards and acclaim, are secondary to that singular goal.
