Lucy Cookson

Lucy Cookson is a contemporary artist whose work focuses on the intricate details of the natural world. Working in watercolors and hand-embellished prints, she explores subjects like the shimmer of a dragonfly’s wing or the architecture of botanical specimens, often scaling these small details into large-format pieces. Infused with a subtle sense of magical realism, her compositions elevate ordinary moments in nature into luminous, almost otherworldly encounters, inviting viewers to see the familiar with renewed wonder.

Based in the Hamptons at her Amagansett studio and in Kauai, Cookson translates the light and color of her surroundings into vibrant, detailed studies of nature. Her lush botanical arrangements are reminiscent of the opulent floral still lifes of the Dutch Masters, balancing scientific observation with painterly richness and a reverence for natural beauty. A graduate of Duke University, she is an active leader in the arts community, serving as a trustee for Guild Hall in East Hampton and on the Board of Visitors at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

Her work is held in private collections and has been featured in exhibitions across the United States.