Rising Stars: Meet Amanda Cook of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Cook.

Hi Amanda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My journey as an artist started incredibly early. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, where my father made his living as a self-employed fine artist. Because of that environment, choosing to become an artist myself was completely natural and accepted as a real profession from day one. I certainly don’t do it for the money—I can’t honestly say it’s an easy or predictable way to make a living—but it is deeply ingrained in who I am.

That foundation, along with receiving a scholarship, led me to Ohio to attend the Columbus College of Art & Design. There, I earned my bachelor’s degree with a double major in Fine Arts and Illustration.

After college, my path took me away from Ohio for a while. Up until 2007, I lived in Connecticut, then in Illinois, working behind the scenes in museums as an art handler. I eventually moved back to Columbus and continued my museum work here. While I have always maintained a traditional studio practice, it wasn’t until around 2015 that I was finally able to transition to working as a full-time artist. What started as my normal childhood reality watching my dad work has evolved into my own lifelong pursuit, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be doing what I love right here in the Columbus arts community.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. For years, the biggest hurdle was simply a matter of time and energy. I was working full-time as an art handler in museums, which was intensely physical labor, though it came with an incredible reward. I had the privilege of physically handling and preserving precious artworks that I had previously only ever seen in art history books.

Being surrounded by that level of history every single day was a profound experience, but the physical reality of the job meant that I often had very little energy left when I left work. Finding the discipline to sit at my easel after a long shift was a constant balancing act.

Taking the leap to work as a full-time artist around 2015 brought a new set of challenges. Relying on your art to sustain you introduces a different kind of pressure because the income is rarely predictable. You have to learn how to navigate the business side of things without letting it compromise why you paint in the first place. Sustaining an oil painting practice for three decades requires a lot of grit, but pushing through those exhausting and unpredictable periods is what makes moments like hanging my own a solo exhibition—such as my recent exhibit, “Sometimes Just the Sky” at the Sharon Weiss Gallery—feel so genuinely rewarding.”

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an oil painter, and my traditional studio practice really lives in two distinct but complementary worlds. I specialize in fine art landscapes, but my subject matter is split between the urban and the natural. On one hand, I am known for painting detailed cityscapes and the vibrant, artificial glow of vintage neon signs. On the other hand, I create paintings of dynamic skies, sometimes capturing the dramatic movement of starling swells.

What sets my work apart is that dual focus. People might see a neon cityscape and a natural sky as opposites, but my core obsession in both is exactly the same: capturing atmosphere, light, and a distinct sense of place through the medium of oil paint.

When it comes to what I am most proud of—or honestly, what still stuns me—it is the fact that people actually pay for my paintings. I know how difficult it can be to make a living in general, and I realize how expensive everyday life can be. Because of that, I never take it for granted. I am deeply humbled every single day that people choose to invest in my work and want to continue admiring it in their homes and offices.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is staying authentic to why I started creating in the first place and carrying on the tradition of oil painting handed down to me by my father. Art has always been a fundamental way of existing in the world for me. By simply staying true to what I want to paint, the work somehow resonates with others. Knowing that a painting I created can bring a sense of joy or beauty to someone else’s everyday life—that shared connection is ultimately why I continue to create as an artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amandahopecook.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandahopecook
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandahopecook