Born in
Kansas and raised in Uvalde, a knee injury ended a football and
baseball career at the University of Texas. He then moved to
Massachusetts to work as a salesman but may have returned to San
Antonio due to illness. While recuperating in San Antonio he began
sketching with artist Hugo Pohl, his first teacher. Art became his
focus. He then traveled to Taos, Boston and Woodstock, New York to
study. He instructors included Birge Harrison, H. D. Murphy, Walter
Ufer, Leon Gaspard, Henry McFee, and Charles Rosen. Cook moved to
Boerne after his marriage in 1928 and began painting hill country
scenes, portraits and still lives. He moved to Taxco, Mexico in the
1940’s then moved to Houston in 1949, then finally to San Miguel de
Allende, Mexico in 1971.