Nana Cook

Born in Vancouver, BC and raised on Salt Spring Island, Nana studied make-up artistry and Middle Eastern dance and then worked in both fields prior to teaching herself to paint in 1997.

She is a lifelong traveller. The American Southwest – by foot, car, Harley, horse and kayak – influenced her early choice of subject matter: scenes of Arizona and New Mexico.

In 2006, Nana turned her attention to the natural world where she lives on Vancouver Island. At the encouragement of Liu Jian, a Chinese artist, Nana began a project of creating one hundred and fifty paintings of the iconic arbutus trees, a number which has long since been surpassed.

I like to infuse my paintings with dramatic colour, exciting perspective, humour, spirituality and thought-provoking subjects.