Randall Cook

During my professional life, I have worked as a data analyst, business analyst, software project manager, and Executive Director for an open source software initiative. For most of 2005 and 2006 I had very little time to create. Late in 2006 my job situation changed and as a result I had some time on my hands. I decided to explore the creative process in 2007, took some art classes and learned some new techniques. Although I returned to work full-time in 2008 and the job is time consuming, I am going to strive to find ways to create, even if at a snails pace.

I was born in Vermont, am the oldest child of 6 boys and was largely raised on a dairy farm in a rural community. My formal education consists of a bachelor degree in Mathematics and an MBA from the University of Rochester. I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and have worked for a number of years as a professional project manager.

By early 2000, I had completed a time consuming Y2K project that had been keeping me very busy and all of a sudden had some free time on my hands. On a whim, and because upstate NY is miserably cold and snowy in January, I decided I needed an indoor hobby. Walking though a store one day I purchased my first sewing machine and a few quilting books. Largely self taught, I proceeded to make a number of quick pieced and quick quilted quilts for every bed in the house and most of my family members. After a while, these became boring so I started to create more complex traditional quilts and eventually I started to explore art quilts.

In addition to my artistic interests, I enjoy a robust exercise regimen. I am a nationally certified group exercise instructor and work part time at a local health club teaching indoor cycling, yoga, pilates, as well as various aerobics and body