Joanna Cooke

I’ve been an artist for over 20 years, and I illustrate children’s picture books and paint and teach art from my home studio in Waterville, County Kerry. I’ve also been teaching art online internationally for two years.

I’m originally from Cape Town, South Africa, where I had an art studio and sold original artwork, prints and greeting cards for 10 years; I was a member of the South African Society of Artists, with art exhibited at the Zeitz MOCAA gallery in Cape Town amongst others. I was featured in SA Artist Magazine and have published four children’s picture books internationally. I moved to Ireland in May 2021 to set up my teaching studio in the beautiful Kerry countryside.

My art is created both digitally and in traditional media, and I love working in a large variety of styles and materials. I work predominantly in coloured pencil, ink, watercolour, graphite, pastel and oil paint. Students in my art classes benefit from the fact that I’m not bound to any particular style or medium, so I’m able to draw out every individual’s talent and personality in their art. This versatility allows me to help my students choose the best medium for the styles and subjects they want to create, and help them apply it in a way that makes works best.

I’m inspired by nature, and my own art is whimsical with a fresh view on the glorious interplay of the characteristics of animals and the natural world.