I am a retired land surveyor, map-maker, software developer, IT manager who   now spends time photographing and drawing the landscapes and people of the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. ie ass

I have been interested in photography and drawing for most of my life and in my teens I wanted to   be an illustrator until my parents strongly recommended I get a real job! J am largely self taught   having taken the skills learnt from various studies to develop my own drawing style.

I have published six books (3 are still in print and available locally) of my photography and I have   held several exhibitions of both my photography and drawings.

My exhibition in 2020, “Seven Billion Blind Mice”, of environmentally themed drawings at the   Armidale Art Gallery was followed in November 2022 by a very successful “Drawing the Line”   exhibition, a collection of drawings of imagined local landscapes.

My background in surveying, map-making and graphics technologies together with my love of the   outdoors is reflected in my detailed drawing style and in the subject matter I choose.

My drawings incorporate both traditional pen and ink drawings and digital imagery. I enjoy the tactile feeling of drawing by hand while, at the same time, exploring the world with a digital camera for textures and colours that complement my drawings.

Ideas for my drawings crop up in my imagination all the time often triggered by day to day events in the world around me. They are imaginings that reflect my interpretation of what I see.

Some of the artists that have influenced me over the years include Norman Lindsay, John Dixon,   Maurits Escher, John Brack, Ethel Spowers and Jeffery Smart.

 Initially I sketch the drawing in pencil and then complete it with pen and ink. Watching a pen and ink drawing come alive on a page is still a buzz even after a lifetime of drawing. Depending on the complexity involved there may be multiple layered drawings. The pen and ink drawings are scanned and combined, in layers, with digital images to create the final drawing. A wide range of digital photographs may be used, many of which may not be immediately apparent to the viewer.  Images used can vary from close-up macro shots of objects like rocks, bark, foliage, wood grain and rusted metal through to wide angle shots of sunrises, sunsets, grassy paddocks etc.

The final drawings are digital images which are printed on archival textured matte paper. Prints of my drawings are available both framed and unframed. Unframed prints are popular for sending in the mail, carrying in luggage when travelling or having mounted in your own custom-made frame.

To see more of my work put keywords in your search engine like Terry Cooke, Armidale, photography, drawings, artist etc and see what pops up.

 Alternatively check out these web links …

https://www.flickr.com/photos/trcimages/albums   

https://www.flickr.com/photos/t-cooke/albums