Pastel artist to highlight Art Club show

The Jackson Heights Art Club (JHAC) will be providing a venue for celebrated artist Janet A. Cook to give a demonstration of her pastel-designed art on June 14.
Cook’s demonstration will start at 2 p.m., and the event is free.
For 60 years, the JHAC has been providing the community with a chance to see world-renowned artists and get perspective on how their work is formatted and finalized.
Alexis Daniels, President of The Jackson Heights Art Club is very excited for this upcoming event.
“Her name alone will bring in people that have never shown up to an event here,” she said.
In 2005, NBC’s Dateline, “Secret to the Code - The Da Vinci Code” featured Cook and followed her as she recreated a Rossetti painting of Mary Magdalene in charcoal. Taking a different direction from charcoal, her pastel piece, entitled “Glow on Broadway” will be the feature of the demonstration at the JHAC.
Cook predominantly uses pastel, charcoal and oil to create her art. As well as demonstrating how to draw her piece “Glow on Broadway,” she will also bring in other work - mostly landscapes - to show the audience.
Cook, a British born, but Manhattan-based artist was educated in both England and America. She has attended De Montfort University, University of Miami, Academy of Art University in San Francisco, the Art Students League and the National Academy in NY.
“I’m really looking forward to showing people how different it is to use the pastel medium,” said Cook.
The demonstration will give Cook an opportunity to show how difficult it is to create one of these pastel drawings. The pieces normally take around 12 hours to complete, but Cook will be breaking down the process into four steps.
“We were lucky to even get her,” Daniels said.
The JHAC is expecting around 30 to 40 people for the demonstration, according to Daniels. Most of the people that attend these events are seniors, but Daniels has been posting invitations on websites and blogs in hopes of attracting a younger crowd.
The event, which is being held at the JHAC, is located on the lower level of St. Mark’s Church, 33-50 82nd Street in Jackson Heights. For more information about the event or JHAC, contact Alexis Daniels at alexisdaniels@aol.com.