Jonathan Delafield Cook began his artistic training as an architectural draughtsman in Japan. He had won many awards for detailed craftsmanship. After completing his training, Cook returned to England to attend the Royal Academy of Art between 1994 and 1995 when he received the Darwin Scholarship.

Cook’s charcoal images have a photographic quality. The precision and detail in his works describe the extreme fragility of the flowers and create an eerie sense that they have become poised in time yet indefinitely ephemeral. Relating to the traditions of botanical classification and taxonomy, Cook has focused on portraying the qualities of rare varieties of Magnolias and Anemones.

Cook has worked under the architects Ricken Yamamoto and Norman Foster. Many of his works are influenced by East Asian culture – hints of Zen calligraphy can be felt within the marks he makes and shapes descriptive of temples can be found within the tops of the Magnolias. His style combines a sense of observation and construction. Cook is represented in many private and public collections such as with Deutsche Bank, Chelsea and Westminster hospitals and Goldman Sachs. He has also exhibited works in Sydney, Tokyo, and London, utilising the flower as a representation of transient cultures.

General credit: Courtesy the artist and Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney.