Martin Cooke UWS’s Biography Born 1951

MARTIN D. COOKE U.W.S. was born in Belfast and after leaving school he spent 5 years as an architectural draughtsman followed by a further four years in a successful restaurant business on Antrim's north west coast, thus combining his passions for painting and cooking.

In 1978 the success of his first one-man exhibition prompted him to turn professional.

His focus then was entirely watercolour and when he returned to Belfast in 1980,he set up his studio in his new marital home.

Those early years were spent establishing contacts with galleries and developing his skills as a master of watercolour. Several exhibitions followed and he has fond memories of his one-man exhibitions at the Magee Gallery Belfast, which sold out on the opening night. Another successful show in New York established him with a good reputation and in 1989 he was elected a member of the Ulster Watercolour Society. In recent years a book publisher commissioned him, along with a local historian to produce a book entitled, East Belfast-from harbour to hills and is widely available in all good bookshops.

By the late nineties Martin's highly detailed work gave way for a new challenge in his artistic career- abstract expressionism. His current paintings are executed in a style that allows him to explore beyond the familiar and leave the image behind. Although he has painted exclusively in watercolours and oils, it is acrylics on large canvases that suit his impulsive nature, working intuitively and quickly. The abstracts have been well received, and this has provided the necessary encouragement to stretch his abilities and test his imagination.