William Cook
Name some artists that have influenced you: Nikki McClure, Mike Spafford, Jacob Lawrence, Elizabeth Colborne, Wendy Oreville.
Share an artistic accomplishment you are proud of: Through years of being a stay-at-home dad, I’ve managed to work my way through learning many different forms of printmaking and painting. This has allowed me to transform my artistic process from merely attempting to capture what I saw right in front of me to finding new ways to express myself artistically and share my work with the world.
Why do you teach art? I teach to help students notice the beauty in the world around them, as well as the beauty within themselves. Helping someone learn to express themselves artistically is like giving them a new set of eyes, as well as a new set of skills. Also, I never get tired of seeing a student’s face the moment they pull the paper back to reveal their new print. It’s always a moment of discovery, surprise, and wonder.
William Cook has lived here in the Pacific Northwest his whole life. Through printmaking and painting, he enjoys drawing from the natural splendor of this region and has been producing Northwest-inspired artworks for over a decade. He now enjoys passing on his knowledge of printmaking to his students at Happy Time Studios in addition to creating new works of art. Explore his work on his website.