Bob Cook Works

Robert W. "Bob" Cook

BACKGROUND

Nationally known Texas Watercolor Artist Robert W. (Bob) Cook attended the Kansas Art Institute and Baker University in Kansas City, Missouri before going directly into Architectural Illustration, later moving to Florida to open an office near Tampa Bay to work with the Disney Corporation on Disney World buildings. While living in Florida, Bob participated in the sport of sailboat racing, winning nine championships. In 1978 he accepted the Art Director position with Prelim, Inc. in Dallas, Texas. Two years later he bought the company, expanding the client list to include international and US government assignments. In his forty--year career, he created over 14,000 architectural illustrations of commercial buildings, ships, aircraft, and a variety of projects too numerous to list that were scattered across the globe. When he retired Bob donated his entire portfolio of Prelim's work to the architectural department at Texas Tech University in Midland, TX. During his career in Prelim, Inc he continued with his fine art paintings, entering shows and exhibits across the US and intonationally.

MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUE

Bob's signature detailed images include interpretations of urban landscapes, old and new architecture, barns, store fronts, and historical areas, weathered structures, boats, cars, wooded landscapes, and serene get-away places to get lost in. Images of present and past, winged creatures and woods, water, trees and rocks, state and national parks, serene and peaceful landscapes that easily take the viewer inside his paintings. An avid car fan, Bob is also known for painting classic automobiles, several have been featured as magazine and book covers. The National Corvette Museum owns two of his original paintings. His detailed style and unique settings have drawn collectors from across the United States, and world. Retired from the business world, he makes Granbury, Texas home, devoting time to art and photography, painting in his studio that overlooks Lake Granbury.

INSPIRATION

“As a realist, I aim at authenticity. I don't let anyone pull me off base, as they often try to do. It's the little details that make my watercolor paintings appear real. I always try for a natural reality with a little 'punch' and 'snap' thrown in. Every day when I go into my studio, I relish in the knowledge that just having a painting in progress gives me the ultimate sense of comfort and accomplishment.”

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

His prestigious wins included first place with the Los Angeles Audubon Society National Show, The American Society of Architectural Perspectivists, and numerous architectural awards over the span of his career. He won Tarleton State Rio Brazos Art Exhibit four years consecutively, the Southwestern Watercolor Society, Florida Watercolor Society, Louisiana Watercolor Society, and The Stars of Texas "Best of Show' awards. He has received awards from Italy, Japan, Viet Nam, England, Germany, and Australia. Awards from Lake Granbury Art Association and across US are too numerous to list. One dear to him as a classic car enthusiast was the commission to create the illustrations as the artist for the National Corvette Museum, where two of his originals hang, Other unique art projects include creating five book covers for several authors and fifteen buildings at Happy Hill Farm, North Central Texas Academy, Collectors of his work number into the thousands including Disney Corp, Champlain Oil Company, Texas Instruments, The National Corvette Museum, and Texas Baptist Convention. His art has also been featured on the covers of magazines and in newspapers as the winning artist or featured artist for years. In 2017 he was selected as the featured artist of the year by Tarleton University in their annual Langdon Review Book featuring eight of his paintings. His painting, Lipan Portrait, was the University choice for the books cover. His painting Oak Island has been used in scenes on the national TV show and for two other book covers. His wife Carol has used two of his paintings for covers for her books. Bob is a member of the Lake Granbury Art Association and past board member for the Arts Commission in Granbury, Texas.