Cemeteries, painting, music, books, animals, Bitch-Slapping people, figure skating, the paranormal, conspiracy theories, and anything unexplained and mysterious.
Working on a new painting...and I am excited about it!
South Park Lisa
South Park Graeme
Music
South Park Chris
Quintron and Miss Pussycat, Ladytron, Portishead, Massive Attack, Sneaker Pimps, The Ting Tings, White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Handsome Family, X, Bjork, Gorillaz, Hole, Interpol, Morningwood, Radiohead, Sublime, Sneaker Pimps, System Of A Down, Incubus, Silversun pickups, Kaiser Cheifs, Wall of Voodoo, Muse, Southern Culture on the Skids, Zero 7, Peaches, Amy Winehouse, B-52s, The Stone Roses, Arcade Fire, Sia, Thom Yorke, The Pixies, M.I.A., Primus, Nouvelle Vague and some Weezer.
Clara Bow
Movies
All time favorite: THE WICKER MAN!
Television
Anything on the BBC. The League of Gentlemen, Cracker, Wire In The Blood, Little Britain, The Mighty Boosh, Torchwood. Also, Project Runway, Lost, The X Files, Jackass, Wildboys, People's Court, King Of The Hill, Family Guy, Futurama, The Simpsons, American Dad, Animal Planet, History Channel, any True Crime documentaries, Properly Done Ghost hunting programs, and most documentaries in general.
Books
Non fiction in particular, true crime, unexplained phenomena, biographies, history, metaphysical, magazines such as Fortean Times, and Bizarre.
Heroes
Steve Irwin, Jeff Corwin, and Buggin' with Ruud. Comedians Eddie Izzard, Jo Brand, Jennifer Saunders, Ben Elton, Rowan Atkinson, Graham Norton, Kathy Griffin, Monty Python.
I was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, lived for many years in Los Angeles, and in 2002, moved to Lake Arrowhead, California, with my husband and 5 cats.
I owned a record store in west Los Angeles for 20 years. It was called Record Rover and was located at 12204 Venice Blvd. We specialized in collectable vinyl records and 45 singles. We also carried an extensive CD section. I closed it in 2000 and moved into the clouds to Lake Arrowhead, CA.
I received my art training from the University of New Orleans and also from Loyola Marymount University of Los Angeles, where I earned a BA in Fine and Studio Arts. I was awarded several art scholarships, and was the recipient of the Eugene Escallier Award. In the work-study program, I spent 3 years photographing, mounting, and archiving thousands of slides which were to be used in Art History lectures and classes.
Relocating to Lake Arrowhead has profoundly influenced the subject matter of my paintings. I had traditionally painted commissioned portraits and the female figure, almost exclusively. Once I was settled, I found myself compelled to try and capture the wonder of this mountain environment. Landscapes, which had never figured in my work previously, began to flow forth from my brush. Soon, there were bears, then fairies, and even squirrels!
Oil on canvas is my preferred medium, but I also craft 3-dimensional “found art” multimedia pieces. I like to indulge in watercolors and pencil sketching. I have spent the past 20 years as a graphic designer and desktop publisher. I have created numerous CD and album covers for New Orleans music labels such as Vigotone, Peg-Boy, Howdy! and Madman Records. Additionally, I have been commissioned for many portraits, pets and people.
After painting, my second love is photography. The project I cherish the most is my photography book, published in 1998; “Consecrated Ground: Funerary Art of New Orleans” . This book attempts to chronicle nine particular cemeteries, each located in New Orleans, La. The work within this volume reveals a collection of artistic memorials ranging the entire spectrum, from massive, costly monuments spiking heavenwards, to the most humble, handmade remembrances. The graves depicted are in various states of maintenance, from the pristine to the totally collapsed and desecrated. These opposites evidence what many consider uniquely characteristic of New Orleans. See pics from the book, and even order your own copy at: www.llcook.com
I have had the honor of being featured in my own art show, held at The Dogwood Fine Art Gallery in Skyforest, CA. The show was titled "Lisa Cook and the 13 Coffins". On display were several of my paintings and multimedia pieces. I also participated in a photography exhibit titled "Environments", also held at the Dogwood Gallery. In this show, my New Orleans cemetery photos were exhibited.
I look forward to my life in this wonderful community, and to meeting the many artists who also reside here. We are all living in a beautiful and enriching environment, and I am sure it will continue to generate many, many beautiful expressions of art.
Who I'd like to meet:
If I had a car like this...I would be the happiest driver on the roads!
Having these gals in my gang would make me happy, too.
Hello my dear friends! Prepare yourself to meet my mercenary band of apes, who can easily transform their bodies into a flying space craft. With their hirsute help, we will conquer the WORLD! Or maybe just Disneyland...
Hi, A few of you know that I just returned from my trip to
France and got to see the Pere Lachaise cemetery, one of the earliest garden
cemeteries in the world. I took so many photos, so here are a few more that I
make available to my friends. Hope you enjoy them.
Hey Lisa, Here are some ancient words of wisdom: Tune out Turn on, Drop out. I don't know if that is quite the right wording, nor do I agree with the philosophy. But I guess that is because I was born a little too late... I have no issues with pot, however... shhhhh.
..Tomorrow is Independence Day The Fourth of July, Hip Hip Hooray! But Freedom is not for any Joe; Be Careful of what you say, Be careful of the images you post Be mindful of who you know And, PLEASE, for the sake of Freedom, NO fireworks, or to jail you will go.....
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! IF you are American- LOVE JENNIFER
I had been secretly at work in Apple's basement application lab. Every
time I came up with a new application they shot it down. I thought that
this would fund my retirement plan, but they kicked me out the door and
told me not to come back. Something about my warped sense of what the
World needs now. What do you think?
Stuart
Jenny kissed me when we met Jumping from the chair she sat in; Time, you thief, who love to get Sweets into your list, put that in! Say I'm weary, say I'm sad, Say that health and wealth have missed me, Say I'm growing old, but add, Jenny kissed me...
My Grandfather made me a jewelry box as a child, and painted this poem on the box. It has since been recited to me many times by my Grandfather, and when I hear this poem, I will always think of him...
I am either your perfect woman or your worst nightmare. I have no head, yet I have a whole lotta body. But I am not at all sure where my genitals are...plus my torso/nether-mouth works well... Once again, good or bad, depending on how you look at it.....
..
This woman is looking for a vagina that resembles
her own. Then she will move onward to pick out her perfect penile match! You GO, girl!..
..
I want you too, dear, but how can we do "it?" We have no genitals...that I know of...
There's a nail in the door And there's glass on the lawn Tacks on the floor And the T.V. is on And I always sleep with my guns when you're gone..
There's a blade by the bed And a phone in my hand A dog on the floor And some cash on the nightstand When I'm all alone the dreaming stops And I just can't stand..
There's a shark in the pool And a witch in the tree A crazy old neighbor and he's been watching me And there's footsteps loud and strong coming down the hall..
Something's under the bed Now it's out in the hedge There's a big black crow sitting on my window ledge And I hear something scratching through the wall..
Well you are up so high How can you save me? When the dark come's here tonight To take me up my front walk and into the bed Where it kisses my face And eats my head..
Last weekend, my martial arts school had a teaching seminar. My instructor's instructor came and taught a class. I photographed and took part in the event and decided to play with a few of my photos. This is a "dry point" interpretation of my instructor (right center) working with his instructor. This really looks like a painting when seen at full size (8 inches wide), so check it out in your "dedicated" comments section. Stuart
Here's a photo of me at one of my three black belt tests. Each test is 6 months apart and my last black belt test occurs on May 16th. It has taken, going to two to three times a week, 9 years to reach this point. Once I get my black belt, I can start on a lifetime of getting degrees of black belt. My test will be before about 15 black belt sensei at my school. As you can see, they take everything seriously. My school teaches a self defense form of JuJitsu. There are no trophies in our system since we don't compete. We learn how to permanently disable an attacker. I am now practicing every day. It reminds me of the story of the freshman in college who come home and announces that he has learned so much of what there is to learn and then when he is a senior in college he comes home and announces that he has only scratched the surface of what there is to know. I really hope I don't have a "senior" moment and forget everything that I have learned. Stuart
Your new icon/image is disturbing me. I guess that is what it is suppose to do. What's up? Just because I don't write often doesn't mean I am not thinking of you and Graeme.
hey, i was hopin' to hear from you. i hope i did not come off like an asshole. i'm in a bad bad place with my depression and self loathing. i have no energy and i'm kinda afraid to take calls or even leave the house right now. i don't even have a life to wake up to. i know you understand me. you always did. i did not mean to act like you were soley responsile for our falling out. i love you guys unconditionally, always. lisa you always fought for me when guy's, "iron wallet closed", and i thank you. remember the 10% of the stores profits you gave me? you made guy acknowledge my commitment and loyalty to you guys. you are smarter than you know. a happy employee who can afford a decent life is one you can trust! you tell it like it is and see through peoples social masks and normal "filler folk" can't handle it. i'm gonna write some more in your message inbox. i mean not your "IN BOX" BUT YOUR IN BOX. hope this ain't too personal. delete if so. see ya in your message box. lov ya! '
