Jane Cook: My paintings are drawn from nature, which never fails to inspire me, with spontaneous and dramatic sweeps of color and gesture, deceptively subtle nuances of shade and tone, and even humor.

As an artist, I want to create a place that is at the same time dynamic and contemplative; that invites the eye to wander, and the viewer to linger. My painting reference the nonrepresentational artists such as Rothko, Franz Kline, and Rauschenberg, and the Asian Zenga painters, dating back to the 6th century. In common, we are "action painters" concerned with the expression of physicality and spirituality; freed from the portrayal of objects, to evoke emotions and feelings within the viewer.

Most of the paintings are oils on canvas, but incorporate a wide range of natural pigments, other media such as gypsum, tar, and inks. Large brushes, rags, splatter, scrapers, brooms, and spatulas are used in the process.

My studio is in Santa Fe, and my work has been shown in New Mexico, New York, Los Angeles and Vermont.