Reina Cottier
Tairua, New Zealand
I live between crystal filled mountains and a beautiful surf beach!
Good morning, Reina, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors. It is a pleasure to have you with us this morning. I've admired your work for a long time. How would you describe your artwork?
Colourful, flowing, capturing essences of sea, earth, varied cultures, with a
positive uplifting energy.
What is your favorite art medium?
Acrylic paint
Favorite food.I love ALL food, ok ...absolutely fave? Sushi,... although my Mums shepherds pie is awesome!
Coffee or tea.I’m a tea girl through and through :)
Ice cream or pizza?If its Gelato, then icecream. Otherwise, pizza! -with lots of anchovies & olives!
Where would you like to visit?
Somewhere I haven’t already been, like,... Vietnam or South America.
Favorite music.
Not one fave, but top faves are: David Gray, Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac, U2, Mozart, Gypsy Kings, love the blues as well.
Do you listen to music when you work? Yes absolutely a must, zones me out...or in… or both! What? all of the above - I alternate between favourite radio staion and CD’s.Everything!
How old were you when you started creating art?
I'm one of those as soon as I could hold a crayon, I was drawing, colouring, creating, it never stopped. I took art as an optional subject right through school.
We all like to draw, paint, etc., but we couldn’t make a living doing it. When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
Professionally? After I had kids, once they were at an age where they were self sufficient enough to give me the time to dedicate to making my art a business as well.
When did you know you made the right decision?
From day one I knew I was doing something that fulfilled something massive inside of me and when I started selling almost eveything I was painting, combined with the happiness/contentment I got out of it, I knew for sure I was on the right path for me.
What advice would you have for someone aspiring to became a professional artist?
Go for it, but be discerning, and believe in yourself. Know that not everyone will love your art, and thats ok...not everyone has to. If you want to make a living from it, then your art will have to appeal to some, and you need to find that ‘some’. The internet has been very successful for me, but its not everyone’s cup of tea… others prefer exhibitions, galleries etc. I prefer alot of client interaction, so FB and Twitter, and my blog are my tools for marketing an building relationships with people, learning their story and them mine.
Who is the one person in your personal life that has had the most profound effect on you, and why?
My mother. Highly intelligent, she is a true artsy/crafty eccentric. She put her craft before anything else and is what I and many other described as ‘gifted’ with her talents. She taught me how to be true to what you are doing, to focus and to finish. She was also incredibly open minded for her generation and always made sure I could talk to her about absolutely anything. She encouraged me to search for my own answers rather than take what others are saying as utter truth. She was the mother who was giving me tarot cards & Linda Goodmans Star Signs book when I was16 for Christmas, while all my friends were getting the latest clothes etc. She taught me about Sacred Geometry when I was a kid, encouraged me to think about UFO’s, reincarnation, and anything that was not considered the ‘norm’. A quick witted, funny, generous, kind, fantastic woman who I love to bits.
What does the artist Reina Cottier find funny?
I'm one of those people that finds the humour in everything, my kids are a constant source of humour for me, even when they are being very serious. My partner is hilarious, and I laugh at myself all the time. British Comedy too, I was raised on it.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I am influenced by the beach, the mountains, the energy of the land, different cultures, experiences with people and life... I love colour, so anything that is vibrant and full of love/light just shines to me, and the loves are automatically more intense. I then have an urgent desire to get that "feeling" onto a canvas.
What do you do when you get artist's block?
I have never experienced a total block, but when I have too much going on in my personal life, leaves me tired, and no time to breathe and feel properly, so creativity lessens.
What is your favorite sculpture?
My partner Jerry is a sculptor, and I love his creations. A local sculptor here, Christine Hatton is amazing too, I really resonate with her sculptures.
Best book you ever read.
Any of Louise L Hay or Echart Tolle..., and Richard Bransons autobiography! omg it was incredible, thrilling, such an adventure, what a man.
Last book you read.
Rod. - Rod Stewarts autobiography. Needed a book to read on a plane trip, and it was the only one that appealed at the airport book store. Surprisingly hilarious and easy to read, I really enjoyed it.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
My Dad, because he passed away 6 years ago and it would be awesome to talk to him about how much my life has changed in that time, how proud of me I know he would be, and to just bask in his unconditional love & acceptance of me. We were close.
Do you have some links for us to follow you?
I'm one of those as soon as I could hold a crayon, I was drawing, colouring, creating, it never stopped. I took art as an optional subject right through school.
Cook admired the work of the English visionary artist Stanley Spencer, his influence evident in her compositions and bold bulky figures, as well as several of her pictures depicting a similarly religious aspect; e.g. Noah, The Virgin and Jonah & The Whale. Another influence was Edward Burra, who painted sleazy cafes, nightclubs, gay bars, sailors and prostitutes, although, unlike Burra, she did not paint the sinister aspects of scenes. She was described by Victoria Wood as "Rubens with jokes". Beryl Cook's work can be seen in context with the British tradition of social realist painters and could be described as a twentieth century Hogarth or Gilray, although she had a more sympathetic view of the human race. She was, like them above all a social observer. In 1979 a film was made about Beryl Cook for LWT's South Bank Show. The TV company Tiger Aspect made two half-hour award winning animated films of Beryl Cook's irrepressible women who meet at Plymouth'sDolphin Pub. Entitled 'Bosom Pals' had an all star cast of voices with Dawn French, Rosemary Leach, Alison Steadman andTimothy Spall. They were screened on BBC1 in February 2004.
Publications : 'The Works' ( John Murray 1978 ) 'Private View' ( John Murray 1980 ) 'Seven Years and a Day' ( Collins 1980 ) 'One Man Show' ( John Murray 1981 ) 'Bertie and the Big Red Ball' ( John Murray 1982 ) 'My Granny was a frightful bore' ( Chrysalis Books 1983 ) 'Beryl Cook's New York' ( John Murray 1985 ) 'Beryl Cook's London ( John Murray 1988 ) 'Bouncers' ( Gollancz 1992 )'Happy Days' ( Gollancz 1995 ) 'Cruising' (Gollancz 2000 ) 'Beryl Cook: ' The Bumper Edition ' ( Gollancz 2000 )'The World of Beryl Cook' by Jess Wilder & Jerome Sans ( Prestel 2007 ) revised by Jess Wilder in 2008 ( Prestel ) 'Rude Britannia- British Comic Art, Catalogue Tate Britain 2010. www.berylcook.co
Accused of murdering his newly-wedded wife a decade
earlier, Lord Lucas Kenway closed the family farm and shut out the world. He
never expected the little spitfire he claimed responsibility for would turn his
quiet life upside down. 
A
hysterical laugh crawled up her throat. “Madam? Why are you so proper and
polite all of a sudden? Call me Jaye.” She stomped toward the trunk, pulled her
cell phone out of her purse and then held the device up in every corner for a
signal. Lucas’s eyebrows arched to his hairline as she climbed up on a table to
reach the ceiling beams, but she didn’t care how crazy she looked or acted.
Jaye hopped back down and opened a web browser but the page wouldn’t load. She
tried to track her location via GPS but a ‘Location Not Found/No Satellite
Access’ window popped up on the screen. Vomit rose in her throat and she shoved
the phone back in her purse. “This is one messed-up dream. Real men like you
aren’t this hot, even if you are a little scruffy.”
