Howard Norton Cook (American, 1901-1980) Little Grandmother oil on burlap and board signed Howard Cook (lower right) 20 x 14 inches Provenance: Donated by Chimayo Trading Del Norte, Ranchos De Taos, New Mexico Howard Cook's paintings never stray far from the wood engraving and printmaking he absorbed from Joseph Pennell. He treats the brush as a chisel, leaving out what is unnecessary and carving what is absolutely essential to his expression. But Cook was also an accomplished muralist, and something of that practice inheres in Little Grandmother as well. The simplicity in the folds of the garment, in the old woman's face, and in the background recall woodcuts, while the deep blues echo stained glass and the pinks and yellows recall Giotto's Paduan frescoes. -James D. Balestrieri Property being sold to benefit the Mission and Vision of the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, Taos, New Mexico