Feature Artist - Warren Cooke

Warren Cooke lives and works on the Western Port side of Mornington Peninsula, a unique coastal region that forms the genesis of his work.

Engaging with the ever-shifting spaces of transition between land, sea and sky, Cooke develops reduction woodcuts to create multilayered artworks. The perspective of the imagery is from the sea looking towards land.

After completing a Bachelor of Fine Art at the Victorian College of the Arts with a major in printmaking, Cooke worked as a fine art paper merchant before becoming Studio Workshop Manager at Australian Print Workshop, working with artists to produce hand printed, limited edition prints.

Cooke's career highlights include the Benalla Regional Art Gallery, Fremantle Print Prize finalist, Burnie Print Prize finalist, CPM National Print Awards and Silk Cut finalist.

Cooke creates original hand printed, limited-edition prints. His process begins with a wood ‘block’, oil-based ink is rolled over the surface then transferred onto paper using either hand pressure or a mechanical press. Numerous paper sheets are printed at each colour stage. As the image develops, sections of the block are removed to allow the previous colours to remain untouched as the next colour is rolled over the surface of the block and applied to each print.

Preparatory drawings take place in a small boat, bringing the artist and the work into a direct sensorial relationship with place. While the locations depicted are highly specific, the work explores universal themes of impermanence and sensation.

View Warren Cook's Artwork