I was born in Oxford and spent most of my life there and in other parts of Oxfordshire. I have now lived in the West Country for over a decade.

My career as an artist began in a traditional way with tutoring in techniques for painting landscapes and still life, before I began experimenting with different art forms and media. My latest work is inspired by such diverse Somerset landscapes as the rolling hills of Merridge, the understated beauty of the Quantocks and the geological fragmentation that is Kilve beach. I use acrylics, poster paints, oil pastels or watercolours to try to capture the landscapes as they metamorphosize throughout the changing seasons, using various techniques and tools to create the effects that I feel the paintings require.

The search for other means of expression has led me to experiment with abstract paintings,a medium I favour for its ability to capture pure joy in primary colour forms.I also enjoy the challenge of producing work with three dimensions instead of two by creating sculptures made from wood, metal and other materials gathered from the forests and hills that surround me, and pottery, which I often create in free forms, with a purely aesthetic feel rather than for everyday functionality. Each piece I create evolves from previous work and is unique. I favour organic colours such as greens, browns and blues. I also use photography as a medium for instantly capturing the glorious Somerset countryside.

EXHIBITIONS

Prior to 1996
 Venues in Oxford
1996
  Jelly Leg'd Chicken Arts Gallery, Reading, Berkshire
1997 - 1999
  Wallingford & District Art, Wallingford, Oxfordshire
2000 - 2005
  Kingston St Mary
  Somerset Bridgwater Library
  Somerset Waterstone's Bookshop
  Bridgwater Arts Centre
  Somerset Arts Week Exhibition. Frameus Gallery Wells, Somerset

Christine Cook.