Local miniature painter wins 1st prize at Batavia art show
Edward Cook sure knows how to think big on a small scale.
A scale that measures about 3 inches by 4 inches, to be exact.
Cook, of Batavia, is a miniature painter who specializes in transforming everyday landscapes into miniature pocket-size paintings. He was one of nine first-place winners selected from a pool of more than 75 artists from around the country participating in Batavia's 5th annual Art in Your Eye Outdoor Fine Art Show this weekend.
For Cook, painting the big picture was never as enjoyable as putting a little focus into one of his micro masterpieces. Cook loves painting interesting nature scenes he encounters and old barns. He even has his studio in an old barn in Batavia.
Painting isn't the only aspect of Cook's life in which he likes to make a big impact in a tiny way. When Cook, 76, first began "courting" his wife of 54 years, Janice, he painted her an intricate, wallet-sized picture of her name surrounded by curling flowers.
"A lot of people do big things when they court their wife. I always joke that I just did little stuff," Cook said.
Cook says he enjoys the precise nature of miniature painting. Even though most of his acrylic paintings aren't much longer than 3 inches, he will spend hours adding details to the little bricks that make up his barn paintings. Using a special magnifying device he wears over his bifocals, Cook produces about one painting a month and shows them at galleries all over the country, including the Proud Fox Gallery in Geneva.
Cook first decided to focus on miniature painting full time in 1983, the year his wife told him she just wanted a small Christmas gift. Cook decided to paint her 3 inch by 1 inch portrait for a dollhouse she was in the process of decorating. He stuck the little landscape in a ring box and gave it to his wife on Christmas morning. The picture now hangs in their living room at home.
"[Miniature painting] helps me enjoy life. Being able to paint is a blessing," Cook said.
Art in Your Eye ran Saturday and Sunday near Batavia's river walk and featured live music performances, indoor and outdoor art exhibitions and a children's art tent.