Huntsville, Alabama
Award of Excellence: $2,000
Age 21
+ ENLARGE IMAGE
© 2009 Samuel Cook, Cochlear Implant, pencil (24" x 18")
Samuel Cook began creating artwork when he was a young child. Praise from his parents and teachers motivated him to continue, but it was not until high school that Cook dedicated himself to art as a tool to express his emotions and personal experiences. In college, a professor of graphic design helped improve Cook's artistic vision by encouraging trips to art museums and studying art history.
Cook works in a variety of media and hopes to master them all. In Cochlear Implant, the artist shares his conflicting relationship with the mechanism that taught him to speak and hear. At the same time, he also celebrates technology. The self-portrait in graphite reveals a deeper insight into Cook's dependency on the implant. He explains, “While stuck with the machine on my head, I feel like I am a robot.”
The artist credits his hearing loss as an important part of his artistic process, allowing him to delve deep into his imagination. “I open my mind. If I need to think about something serious, then I just grab my personal sketch books and find a non-busy place. Most of that time, I prefer to be deaf while I am thinking. It helps me to focus on my thoughts.”
Cook attends Jacksonville State University and is pursuing a degree in art and graphic design.