Nanci Cook

My mother died when I was 17. After high school graduation, I put my finger on a map and pointed at Santa Cruz California as my next destination. Though I enrolled as an English Lit major, after a course in drawing I realized I had found real inspiration for a life path in the arts. University of Califonia Santa Cruz offered a major in Arts & Crafts & their History and I jumped in. Thanks especially to my instructors Al Johnsen and Beverly Cassell, I learned to make and paint things that mattered. Fifteen years of pottery on Hornby Island later, tendinitis and arthritis forced me to stop working with clay.

I have been painting and drawing from life since UCSC, hosting life drawing sessions and painting plein air (outdoors). As owner of Firesign Art & Design Studio and B&B, I hosted and attended workshops by other artists, including Perrin Sparks, Nancy O’Toole, Marjorie Turnbull,  Peter Shostak, Marilyn Timms, David Gallup, Suzanne Northcott, Janice Robertson, Dianne Bersea, Brian Simons,  John Stuart Pryce, and more. I was lucky during Covid in 2020 to meet Linda Richichi online through the International Plein Air Painters (I-P-A-P.com). She has since become my teacher and mentor and has taught me so much that I needed to learn mastery. (richichiart.com).

Education & Experience

BA in Arts & Crafts and their History

University of California Santa Cruz

1973 – 1977

Studio Potter & Ceramic Artist

Hornby Island BC, Canada

1978 – 1989

Tourism & Hospitality Diploma

North Island College

Campbell River BC, Canada

1998 – 2002

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Owner, Firesign Art & Design Studio and B&B

Quadra Island BC, Canada

2005 – 2017

General Manager

Whiskey Point Resort

Quadra Island BC, Canada

2013 – 2016

Shows

Joy!

Member’s Show Group Exhibition

Pearl Ellis Gallery, Comox BC, Canada

Dec 2025

Nanaimo: Fine Art Show 2025

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

Oct 2025

Northern Beauty

Online Group Exhibition

Hunter-Guise Gallery ON, Canada

Sep 2025

Arrowsmith: Federation of Canadian Artists Arrowsmith Chapter

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

Jul 2025

2025 Water Exhibition

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

May 2025

35th Juried Purely Pastel Open Exhibition

On Site Group Competition

Vancouver BC, Canada

May 2025

2025 Landscapes Exhibition

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

Mar 2025

Arrowsmith: FCA Spring Show

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

Mar 2025

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2025 Campbell River Member’s Show

Campbell River Art Gallery
Campbell River Arts Council

Campbell River BC, Canada

Jan-March 2025

2025 Bloom Exhibition

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

Jan 2025

Nanaimo: Fine Art Show

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

Oct 2024

2024 Small Exhibition

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

Jul 2024

12th Annual Online Purely Pastel

Juried Group Exhibition

Pearl Ellis Gallery, Comox BC, Canada

May 2024

2024 Landscapes Exhibition

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

Mar 2024

2024 Bloom Exhibition

Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA)

Vancouver BC, Canada

Feb 2024

Campbell River Plein Air Painters 2nd Annual Fall Show & Sale

On Site Group Exhibition

Sybil Andrews Cottage, Vancouver BC, Canada

2024