The morning light that floods Layne Cook's studio is the best light for her to paint by, but her initial inspiration came from late-afternoon shadows.
On a road trip with her husband, Cook noticed that the scenery was especially dramatic late in the day. Day after day, the "4 o'clock effect" infused ordinary landscapes with a special quality that begged to be captured on canvas.
The 2001 road trip was pivotal for Cook's painting career. "I had just finished working as a kitchen designer," she said, "and was on the trip to start something new. I have always lived an artistic life, whether designing or painting, but I was looking for more balance in my life - less work and more travel, the time to entertain, volunteer and create. The trip was a new chapter."
Now, a few years later, Cook's paintings continue to reflect her afternoon imaginings and the interplay between light and dark are still strikingly represented in her work.
A creative spirit
Cook is a creative spirit. She majored in applied arts at the University of Washington in 1973 and more recently worked as a successful kitchen designer of Seattle homes.
Even though kitchen design and painting are two different endeavors they have unifying themes for Cook. Both mediums require her creativity and call on awareness of space and her ability to plan accordingly.
"Design needs to make sense," Cook explained. "My style isn't a fussy style. Everything must have a purpose, whether I am painting or designing."
Cook hopes that her landscapes draw the viewer into the dreamy, relaxed nature portrayed on canvas. Some of her rural paintings depict a red barn a distance off, some a long meandering river and others, field workers harvesting grapes. The paintings invoke recollections of familiar scenes etched in memory and make one wish they could drive out to wide open spaces to watch the sun set in wine country.
In contrast, Cook's cityscapes appeal to the analytical side of the brain. "Did you see what's going on?" and "It looks like reflections in glass" are commonly heard expressions as people walk by and pause, captivated as they try to puzzle out the urban scenes.
Finding the subject
Most of Cook's concepts spring from mannequins in storefronts from Seattle, southern California and New York City. A photo taken of a window front showing a glimpse of a person walking by or the reflection of a car provides Cook's initial inspiration.
Occasionally, what Cook catches with her camera isn't immediately apparent. This uncertainty is really what gives life to her urban scenes and rise to various dimensions in her painting.
"The more I learn about the many aspects of painting," she explained, "the more I am able to see and appreciate."
With her perceptive eye she can recognize what is worth highlighting in her art, where shapes and colors would be most captivating, and how to communicate specific moods in her work.
She noted that since each composition is unique, she can't easily determine beforehand what is going to happen: "All I have to do is get started and the design emerges."
Cook, however, doesn't let her creations emerge in a wild, chaotic manner. She is mindful of the overall composition as well as all of its deviations from the central subject. Her landscapes, like unassuming compositions, allow the viewer to drift off into their own imagination, using the piece as a starting point for subconscious wanderings.
Conversely, her cityscapes command thoughts and oblige the viewer to actively participate in the piece. You are meant to ask what story is being told, what events are unfolding, how do particular images change or agree with the story I am creating?
Cook draws her audience into an imaginative reverie with her landscapes and, at the same time, she maintains the delicate harmony in her cityscapes between complete disorder and bland composition.
Now on display
Cook's sizeble collection of work is on display at Home Realty on Green Lake. Almost all of her 40 pieces on exhibit were created this year, though Cook hasn't always been so inspired.
She said that in her years as an art student, "I did some painting but was at a loss for subject matter. Now, 30 years later, the ideas flow faster than I can implement them. I like to think that my experience and broader outlook as an older person have contributed to this creative energy."
Her artistic energy seems to be boundless as she talks of upcoming subject matter.
"I would like to begin working with clouds, particularly storm clouds," she said.
With a beautiful view of the Puget Sound, her muse is never far away.
To meet Cook and see her collection firsthand, attend the Evening with the Artist event Friday, July 8, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Home Realty, 4900 Stone Way N.
Cook's work will be on display for several more weeks at Home Realty and is available to the public for viewing daily between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
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