About the artist

Paul Cooke 

Paul Cooke is a British figurative artist, working in oil, tempera, etching and watercolour. He studied with Nerina Simi in Florence in the early 80`s and amidst the circle of painters around Pietro Annigoni. He assisted Ben Long on the Frescoes at Monte Casino, and subsequently won a bursary to study with Nelson Shanks at the National Academy of Design in New York. He has shown at The Mall Galleries, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Academy and The Berkeley Square Gallery. Paul has gone back to painting full-time from his studio in West London, after running a business and bringing up a family.

Paul is an artisan-painter – making his own paint & materials whenever possible. Understanding the craft of painting is central to what he does; he is fascinated by the qualities of pigments, oils, balsams, varnishes etc. He is a figurative/plein-air painter immersed in the process, striving to work with integrity and an open mind.