Fruit in a bowl

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Chris does some amazing things with paint and canvas. Whether it’s something as complex as capturing the sunset bouncing off of the Sedona, AZ desert, the anguish in the face of Jesus as he was crucified, or as “simple” as painting a still life of some fruit in a bowl, he always has a way of capturing the moment, and the memory that it evokes.

This particular painting is one that we all might think to see in an art class, or a “beginner’s lesson”, but Chris seems to have a way of capturing still life in such a way that it is able to still express his personality and style of painting. Even with watercolors on canvas, I am amazed at his ability to capture highlights, reflections, and shadows. I feel like this style, in addition to the whimsical, spiritual, and sometimes fantasy-like nature of some of Chris’ work is a real testament to his talent as an artist.

Sometimes, creating things that are simple, and simply beautiful is the best understated ability that one can have. Chris is able to do this with both his artwork, and with the websites that he designs. He truly has a gift…

Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE

House of Thomas

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Friday came…They nailed our savior to a cross, and laid his body in the tomb.

Everything you’d worked for, devoted your life to, and placed your hope in was laid in that tomb with him.

The cross was empty, his body was in the tomb, and your mind and heart are full of doubts and questions.

I find it easy to identify with Thomas to have lots of questions and fears in the midst of what he was facing and feeling in the days following the crucifixion.

This painting portrays an “inside looking out” perspective from what Chris poses is the house of Thomas. Things inside the house seem dark, the disciples have understandably retreated into safety and hiding. It serves as a great reminder of what it might have been like to be a 1st century follower of “The Way”.

The good news for us as believers is the truth that he is not still on the cross, nor is he still in the tomb that they laid him in! We have a hope through the Resurrection on Easter Sunday that God has not abandoned us, and Jesus can live in each of our hearts for eternity because of the sacrifice made that day!

Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE

Robyn

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All artists have inspirations and muses. There is something that sparks creativity and inspires each artist to create their beautiful masterpieces. For many of Chris’ works, his Christian faith inspires him to create; for others, it’s his southern heritage, and be beauty of the landscapes that surround him. For this one, it’s obviously the woman that he loves so dearly, his wife, Robyn.

I really don’t know much to say about this painting other than to add that I have observed the way he talks to her, about her, and goes out of his way to provide for her and cherish her as his beloved. Chris’ faith in Jesus tells him to love her like Christ loved the church, and he without a doubt does.

It’s a beautiful thing to see a friend, an artist, and a mentor express the love that he has for his bride in a manifestation of a painting. I know that this painting couldn’t possibly express all that he feels for her, but I do feel that it helps to share a little bit of how much he cares for her.

Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE

“The Lake”

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Madison is right in the heart of Georgia’s “Lake Country”. Lakes like Sinclair, Oconee, and Lanier being so close, make it easy to take a little weekend getaway to get your toes in the water for a bit of relaxation, excitement, and recreation.

The waters and shores of Georgia’s lakes are filled with fishing holes, lazy lagoons for houseboats, and expanses of open water for skiing, tubing, and the likes.

This painting by Chris captures a snapshot of the respite and tranquility that a trip to the lake can offer. I would venture to say that, short of loading up the family and driving 4+ hours to the Atlantic, a getaway to the lake is the perfect way for those who believe in the healing and therapeutic powers of sitting in the sun by a large body of water to reap the healing benefits.

As I look at this painting, I can almost hear the wakes and breeze-driven waves lapping against the shoreline, and feel the sunshine hitting my face. It’s safe to say that I have the itch to find a large body of H2O and park myself for an extended period of time.

I love how Chris’ paintings can transform his viewers to a particular place in time. There’s something special about an artist that can accomplish that with his brushstrokes.

Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE

Yielding:

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“Every cloud has a silver lining”

“No rain, no rainbow”

“It can’t rain forever”

“It’s always darkest before the dawn”

Eventually, bad things have to give in and yield to the good. The sun will eventually cut through even the thickest clouds, flowers will emerge where the soil once looked barren and empty.

Chris paints this picture to reveal a beautiful sky behind a large mass of dark grey clouds. To me, it serves as a great reminder that no matter what life throws our way, better things are to come. Furthermore, the beautiful and bright sky was always there, but our vision is often hindered by the presence of the clouds overhead.

My encouragement to each of you, myself included, is to not lose sight of the fact that, one day, evil will yield to good, and great things will be in store for all who believe.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 1:5

Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE

Abandoned Peach Orchard

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Georgia is the peach state.

Peaches are one of my favorite fruits.

Spring is right around the corner…Fruit trees are starting to bloom.

This is a picture of a peach orchard, long after the fruit was gone; the limbs litter the ground, and the birds have taken up their posts as sentries. Gone are the glorious and beautiful flowers; no longer are the limbs laden with the heavy burden of sweet and juicy peaches.

As spring approaches, I am reminded again about how God works things in cycles. If one were to look at this snapshot of these peach trees without knowledge or foresight about the cyclical changes that all things go through, they might feel discouraged. The glorious truth for those of us who know is that God has a perfect plan. While things seem to be dead, bleak, and empty, there are beautiful flowers and sweet fruit waiting to be seen and enjoyed.

Lent reminds us of the time that things seemed bleak and empty for the world. Jesus was nailed to a tree, and laid in a borrowed tomb. All seemed lost, but, as is always the case in God’s timing, there was a much sweeter and glorious plan at work for each of us.

Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE.

 

Jesus is…

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I want to try something a little bit different for this blog. Instead of writing my thoughts and insight, I simply wanted to post this picture of Jesus that Chris painted, and ask the viewers to answer this “simple” question.

“What is Jesus to you?”

Answer below in the comments. I can’t wait to see the responses.

Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE .

Circle of Life:

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I am not much of an artist in the sense of “paint brushes, strokes on canvas, and acrylic color palates”. My art tends to come with the way that I am able to use my words to talk about or describe something. (I studied culinary arts in college, therefore, I have a decent ability to put good looking food on a plate, but that is neither here nor there). That being said, I am one who appreciates art, though I may not always have the best idea of what exactly is happening on the canvas, or what was going through the artist’s mind as he/she created the piece.

Chris titled this painting “Circle of Life”. After singing Sir Elton John’s hit from the opener of Disney’s The Lion King in my head, I began to contemplate life as a circle/cycle, and to contemplate this painting as a representation of it.

I feel like the black and white, almost starry field that constructs the majority of the background helps to represent the vastness that is the expanse of a universe much larger than we’re able to experience in our lifetime. The figure in the top left of the picture seems to represent birth/beginning. The colored element is an adult male, (I assume that is Chris). There are other figures within the painting, and a definite wheel, reminding me of the cycles of our life.

Lent is a time when we are to be reminded of our human mortality. During the Imposition of Ashes, pastors typically speak words like “remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. It’s a stark reminder that our creator works things out in seasons and cycles. This big ol’ wheel keeps on turning, and God has a forever plan in motion for it all.

Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE. 

Life on Earth When Jesus Was Here.

What was life like when Jesus was on the earth?

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We do have the Bible and other historic writings chronicling the times in the middle east at the time of Jesus.

I have thought about this enough to draw my own opinions. I am not an old world history expert but I think the following of the time:

  • there was knowledge that “this was the time” of the coming Messiah and it was well know (see Daniel 9:24-27)
  • there were probably lots of men claiming that they were the Messiah and knew the prophesies – thus could imitate the signs and actions
  • there was an accelerated number of demons present on earth, demons being cast out… I am open to anyone out there that knows more on the subject to correct me
  • it seems that the demons also knew quite well who Jesus was upon encountering him – while the “religious leaders” of the time seemed to have more trouble in acknowledging him
  • lots of confusion, violence, evil, power hunger, pride, repression…

The religious establishment seemed to be expecting Him too, but from all that I read of their interactions with Jesus – they assumed that he would “come to them” and “work with them” and that they would be in the center of his work here. That did not happen. Jesus found himself in conflict with them throughout his ministry. There is way too much here to write about here and to show you on a canvas…

This painting is made of six equal sized little paintings all on one canvas. You can draw what you want from each or of the totality of the painting as a whole.

Enjoy,

Chris Cook

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Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE. 

 

Barns, Barns, Barns…

Tennessee Barns: 1 through 5.

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Why paint the same picture 5 times? Good Question. As I was about the finish Tennessee Barn #1, I was really liking the way it looked compositionally and the color scheme as well, but, I had an idea for another color pallet that I “could have used”. I pulled out a second blank canvas the same size and roughed in the same composition and left it there while finishing the first.

I thought about Monet, and how he painted the hay stack picture over and over again – using roughly the same composition, point of view… but at different times of day to get different light. What a marvelous idea… but he painted those paintings “En plein air” that is a French expression that means “in the open air,” and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors (on the spot).

Unfortunately, I was painting this in my art studio in Madison, Georgia while that barn is sitting in a sharp curve in the road just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I had made a quick photo on my iPhone from the side of the road years ago, so I could not observe the barn at different times of day – I abandoned that idea and went with “I could have painted this in a different color pallet idea” that I had originally.

I repeated this idea until I had exhausted color pallets I felt were appropriate for this subject. Now I have a wonderful set of five paintings of the same subject if someone wanted to make a grouping on their wall, or a nice set of different color paintings of the same subject to suit someone’s idea of “I like those colors”.

I went on to paint another barn from Blowing Rock, North Carolina two times with two different color pallets. You will just have to go to my website to see those.

Enjoy,

Chris Cook

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Chris Cook is a premier southern artist and owner of Madison Studios, a web design, maintenance, and e-commerce and marketing company. For his artist biography, contact information, or to view more of his work, click HERE. 

 

 

 

 

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