Lesa Cook

About the Artist

Lesa Cook grew up in South Carolina and received a BA in Studio Art from U.S.C. in 1987. After moving to the DC suburbs, she continued her fine art studies part-time at:  The Maryland Institute College of Art, The Corcoran School of Art, The Art League in Alexandria, Va., and The Shuler School in Baltimore. She was a full-time student at The Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy from Oct. 2018 until March 2020, when COVID-19 interrupted her studies. Her work has been shown nationally. She resides in Burkittsville, MD where she paints, sculpts, and teaches at The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in Frederick, MD. She has extensive teaching experience with a variety of student populations, including those dealing with memory loss and their caregivers; and previously under-served populations. A  big believer in the power of art to reach, heal and connect, she has seen firsthand the benefits a creative outlet can provide. She is also a registered copyist at The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and considers herself stylistically to be a classical realist, drawing inspiration from the great masters and trying to capture not only the natural form but the emotional reality as well.