Born Portsmouth, Hampshire, 1952. Educated St Felix, Southwold, Suffolk (1962 - 69) and Chichester College, Sussex (1970 - 73) Lincoln College of Art and Design (1985 - 87). Rosemary Cook worked for many years as a conservator and restorer of the decorative arts, however, it was during her late teens that she discovered her love of sculpting.
" I was attending a pottery class with my mother, just to keep her company. My pots were dreadful so to pass the time I started making quick, sketchy sculptures. It was like a window opening onto a new world. True love... I never looked back. "
Years later her experience with materials and techniques acquired as a restorer of sculpture at The Royal Academy led on to her present career and success as a professional sculptor. She now lives in Suffolk and works in the "idyllic setting" of her studio in an old, oak framed barn. She works quickly, using clay to produce an original model that is thoroughly distinctive in its strong, impressionistic lines.
" Dogs feature strongly in my work; I hope that my sculptures never fail to capture the immediate spark of liveliness and individual character of the subject. My figures take me in a different direction - they are not of specific people, but evocations of solitary and tranquil moods which lead into a sense of timelessness. "
Rosemary's latest venture is the setting up of a new studio in the Le Marche region of Italy. She and her partner are restoring an old farm house there. A dilapidated out-building with northern views of the surrounding hills will make a perfect work space.
" I plan a little courtyard garden to the south with maybe a fig or peach tree, if one can cope with the cold winters. What joy - ripe figs and sculpting! "
Rosemary was made an associate member of The Society of Women artists in March 2009 and a full member in May 2010.