Lesa Cook received a BA in studio art from the University of South Carolina in 1987. She continued her fine art studies at: The Corcoran School of Art in Washington,DC, The Art League in Alexandria, VA, The Schuler School of Art in Baltimore, MD, and spent 2018-2020 studying full-time in the sculpture program at The Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. She resides in Burkittsville, MD where she sculpts, paints and teaches. She considers herself a classical realist, drawing inspiration from the great masters and trying to capture not only the natural form but the emotional reality as well.