Tony Cook - Fine Artist

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Awakening, 2015

Created as part of a themed solo show "Condo City", this abstract painting attempts to suggest the crowded buildings rising in Toronto's downtown core.
Come Fly with Me, 2013

Inspired by the techniques of Gerhard Richter, this piece went through a number of painting levels with extensive scraping away to reveal earlier layers.The final layer of black and white "birds" gave rise to the title.
Circus 9, 2014

Part of the Circus series of 2014 - about 10 or 11 in all. This one was painted on a full sheet of Terraskin "stone" paper, then mounted on to a gallery birch panel and varnished with archival Golden varnish. A painting finished in this manner can be hung anywhere, in bright sunlit areas, even in humid areas such as bathrooms. Dust can simply be wiped off with a damp cloth.

Sold to a local buyer.
Circus 7, 2014

A circus performer visiting my gallery, assured me that this image truly reflected the way a circus arena appears from the highwire. While not intended as such a representation, I have named the piece Circus 7. It is acrylic on watercolour paper, framed under glass.
Condo City 4, 2015
Condo City 7, 2015

Designed as the signature piece for a solo show at the Second Cup coffee shop, this painting attempts to portray a stylized Toronto downtown skyline with the ever-present construction cranes. Yet another condo building!
Fireglow, 2015

A miniature canvas in a non-objective impression.
Northern Whites, 2013

The title is a little tongue-in-cheek (naming abstract art is the hardest part of the process), The piece is a combination of several techniques: brush-painted background, poured foreground on heavy watercolour paper. This in turn, mounted onto stretched canvas using gel medium as the "glue". The surface then protected with several layers of Golden acrylic varnish with UV protection. The finished piece is then mounted into a float frame.
Red and Blue, 2013
Vision of Irises, 2012

Created for a group show supporting a women's shelter, for which the theme was "Irises", this is an entirely free form, poured painting employing very liquid acrylic pigments. Whether the theme is realized is another matter! Whatever, this is one of my favourites. There are pigment flows in this work which are simply unobtainable with brushes.
St George and the dragon, 2013

Often, a randomly poured effect will turn out to have unexpected references. In this case, most viewers see in this painting a knight on horseback. It could be St George (is that a dragon in the bottom left corner) or perhaps Don Quixote.Your choice.
Blue September, 2014

Heavy body acrylic paint applied thickly to a Terraskin sheet, with noticeable texture provided by heavy gesso. The Terraskin* was then mounted to a gallery birch panel using archival acrylic medium.

*Terraskin is an ecologically-sound support made with calcium carbonate. It is extremely strong and archival.
Tango, 2013

Non-objective, lively and playful image, reminiscent of my circus series, this one is mixed media using acrylic paint brushed and squirted from the fluid container. The support is heavy watercolour paper glued (with acrylic gel) to a gallery birch panel. Texture is achieved through the sparing use of acrylic pumice. The final piece is brushed with acrylic varnish.
Pulsar, 2013

This abstract works in either vertical or horizontal orientation (as any good abstract should). I named it Pulsar, as I had an image in my head of an EKG printout - perhaps I was feeling the need for attention! I was experimenting with texture and used a quantity of fine mica which adds interest to the piece.
Frmo the lagoon, 2016

This piece is framed under glass. It was created for a store window at Halloween to fit in with their display. It really isn't all that scary as the background is quite bright and not at all swamp-like. Perfect for a young boy's room.
Black Lace, 2015

This piece is currently unframed and would be shipped rolled into a tube. We can frame the piece on request, for an extra charge.
The lace effect was achieved by inserted a lot of India ink underneath cling film that had been placed over the painting while the background was still damp. Left to its own devices, the ink responded to the slight tilt of the board, thus forming this interesting effect. If you look closely, you can see the wavy effect in the background.
Ablaze, 2017

Poured acrylic (without additives)
Thousand Islands, 2017

Poured acrylic on a gallery 12x12 canvas. Original is much brighter than the image. Call for shipping costs.
Springtime, 2017
Ocean Surge, 2017
The Reef, 2017
Becoming, 2017
Circus 3, 2016
Flight of Fancy, 2018

One of a series of experimental abstracts on 12" x 12" gallery canvas. Somewhere in there is a white bird, hence, Flight of Fancy. (The image does not do it justice, as there is some glare which dulls down the paint. It is actually a very bright painting).
Abstract in Blues, 2018

Using a technique that gives unpredictable results (!), I laid down various washes of colour, allowing the pigments to run and mix by tilting the support. I quickly laid cling film on top of the painting while it was still very wet and manipulated the film to create the various lines and blocks. The film remained in place for 24 hours until the paint was just about dry, then carefully removed. Terraskin is a wonderful substrate to work with, as it is only very slightly absorbent - the pigment ha
My Old Man Said Follow the Band, 2018

A free-flowing abstract piece in acrylic on canvas. The title is from an old English music hall song (look up the lyrics) and is used for no apparent reason other than that it came into my head at the time.
Ode to Monet, 2018

Start of a series of abstracts created without brushes, using only a credit card (expired!) First, an orange ground is applied smoothly, followed by pigments straight from the tube, placed randomly on the surface. Then, the credit card is used to move the paint freely without any real thought given to design.

Abstract

To purchase any of the pieces in this portfolio (note, some are already sold), send me an inquiry via the Contact Page, quoting the item's Title and the shipping address. Shipping charges vary by destination and will be reflected in the invoice. To keep things simple, I use PayPal Invoices. I send you an email invoice which enables you to pay securely through PayPal (no need for a PayPal account). I never see your credit information.

You may, of course, elect to pick the painting up from my studio.

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Tony Cook - Fine Artist

Expressive acrylic and watercolour paintings

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