Keren Cook

Keren Cook

Keren Cook holds a Masters in Fine Arts (with first class honours) and a Diploma in Teaching.  With these qualifications she has taught in schools as Head of Art and worked as a lecturer at Auckland University’s Elam School of Fine Arts.  She continues to work as a visiting artist in New Zealand schools and has worked on invitation at the Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, USA and the Scuola Di Grafica in Venice, Italy.  She is currently the owner and director of a private art school in Auckland.

As a painter, Keren produces abstract work full of suggestion.  Forms are di Keren Cook mly reminiscent of naturally occurring landscape, yet highly influenced by man-made, architectural structures; spaces intersect as the surface is thickly built up using masking tape to section off areas and broad palette knife strokes to create depth and solidity.

The play of light and shade in Keren’s work can be seen in the tonal qualities of form and shadow that describes her environments and her choice of colour is purposeful and often symbolic, used to accent the political, social and spiritual values of the painted subject.

Keren has been exhibiting in both group and solo exhibitions.  During the course of her career she has been awarded various grants and prizes in recognition of her work within New Zealand.  She continues to exhibit successfully and her works are held in public and private collections in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Italy.

Artwork

Examples of Keren’s artwork can be viewed at Mobile Art Gallery, 23 Edwin Street, Mt Eden, Auckland.