“I frequently tell friends and coworkers that I am going to spend the weekend playing in the mud. In a sense that is how I have always approached my work. Never wanting to be too serious while enjoying the freedom to produce whatever form or pursue any style that came to me each day.”
Ron has been playing in clay from an early age, beginning with pinch pots from creek bed clay and firing in the house coal furnace. Then picking up wheel throwing and hand-building in high school and continuing through a Bachelor’s in Art degree from Coe College. Followed by setting up a pottery studio right after college and continuing to play in the clay over 40 years later. Today, Ron’s studio is located on a country acreage outside of Liberty, Illinois, with time shared with gardening, bee keeping, hunting and many other hobbies.
A common theme found throughout Ron’s work is grounded in a concept that goes all the way back to a senior thesis – Freedom of Clay. Wheel thrown work is not overworked, allowing throwing lines and natural textures to stand out. Hand built and extruded pieces maintain a free-form look from start to finish. Glazing techniques often vary from piece to piece with some pieces focusing on unglazed clay for texture and others using glazes and application techniques that accent the natural forms and shapes.
Ron D. Cook graduated in 1982 from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with degrees in Fine Arts and Business Administration. While pursuing a marketing career that included several relocations, Ron has always found time to keep up with his passion for pottery.
Ron is a member of Hannibal Alliance Art Gallery, Hannibal MO.