"It was a quantum leap to leave the Rockies and move to the ocean,"
he recalls.
Hook finds Carmel to be fertile inspirational ground. "I love going to
places like Point Lobos to photograph," he says. He always has a camera
with him, and paints from the shots he takes.
"I have the photos on a small monitor for reference," he shares. "I'm not
a realist, though. I just use them as a reminder of what I saw. Sometimes I
take several images and combine them into one scene."
Several local collectors have been drawn to Hook's paintings, including
Ron and Pat Eastman of the Santa Lucia Preserve, patrons who have
become close friends.
"Every now and then you come across someone you really connect
with," Hook says. "Ron and I are like brothers. He and Pat have followed
my work and collected quite a bit of it. We see them more than anyone
else when we're here. They're my California family."
Hook is internationally recognized and has paintings in many museums.
It's an honor to have an artist of his renown take up residence in such a
small town as Carmel, and the local art community is grateful that Santa
Fe is generous enough to lend this huge talent to us for half of each year.
To learn more, go to williamhook.net.
Photo:
Courtesy
of
William
Hook
"Bam! Boo! Stilllife" and "Carmel No.5."
"The abstract was inspired by the still life.
I've only been doing abstracts a short time."
Hook and his wife Kate return to the beach where they were
married often, he paints, while she reads.
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