Theron Cook’s first ever art class at Reading High School involved a unique exercise.
The teacher had the class shut their eyes, scribble on paper, then open their eyes and expand the scribble into a drawing.
Cook drew that scribble into an abstract sketch impressive enough to sway his father to buy him a paint set.
But the drawing Cook created that day in class was incomplete; to Cook, that piece and the many works that followed are scribbles within a bigger picture.
“My philosophy is, art is everything and everything is art,” Cook said.
Cook pursued his artistic dreams to a liberal arts school in Philadelphia, then to New York, and eventually back to his hometown of Reading, where his murals now decorate walls throughout the city.
His work is hard to miss — Cook’s style is marked by vivid colors and surreal imagery, with multiple images often overlaid in a collage-like fashion.
“I look at my art as a mirror,” Cook said. “When people see my art, they see themselves, and they get inspired and empowered by what they see.”
Now, Cook is pursuing his larger artistic goal of empowerment with a new initiative: Don’t Quit Omniversity, which aims to offer a physical space for creatives and business owners to connect.
He’s already found success as a teacher, holding classes at GoogleWorks Center for the Arts, mentoring students at Alvernia University and the Emerging Entrepreneurs Academy, and heading creative workshops for local businesses and nonprofits.
“My thing is don’t quit, the best medicine is trying,” Cook said.
Not quitting has paid off for Cook — his work has been featured in dozens of exhibits, locally and in Philadelphia and New York.
He said he’s spent years developing his philosophy of perseverance into programs for arts students, artists and businesses.
At the Omniversity, Cook plans to offer classes that teach college students and others in creative fields to monetize their talents, as well as courses on how businesses can define themselves in the digital landscape.
“I spent about two years just interviewing some pain points with my clients,” Cook said. “A lot of people don’t realize the difference between marketing and branding. One of my goals is to (teach that).”
The Omniversity will contain a studio, classroom, gift shop, and a gallery area, Cook said.
Cook also eventually plans to expand his initiative with the creation of an Omniversity app that businesses and artists can use to connect.
“It’s a creative hub that fosters collaboration,” Cook said.
He said he is exploring possibly buying and revamping abandoned property in Reading for the Omniversity, but he hasn’t found a place yet.
Both the transformation of a dilapidated building and his objective of growing connections through creativity play into a larger theme present throughout Cook’s body of work: Metamorphosis.
One of his projects, “The Butterfly Effect,” captures the concept of transformation in 33 abstract butterflies, each wound together in a surreal collage of imagery.
Untitled butterfly painting by Theron Cook . Reading Eagle: Lauren A. Little 8/3/2015 Artist Theron Cook
Cook said the butterflies were inspired by his time living and working in New York, where he was able to break free of his introverted shell.
Cook supported his Omniversity endeavor with the Metamorphosis Gala, a black tie auction which took place Oct. 12 at the Reading Museum.
The gala sold art pieces to raise money for the Omniversity, with a portion of the proceeds going to The Real Deal 610, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting youth in need and addressing their mental health needs.
For more information or to support Cook’s mission and the Omniversity, visit theroncookart.com.
