John Cook’s talent for woodwork and metalwork was nurtured at school and he went on to have a varied career making things with his hands for more than 45 years.
This spanned automotive tool making at Ford's Dagenham site, followed by a move to the US after being headhunted by a machine builder.
From this his passion for music led him to develop a business making bespoke saxophone stands with clients including famous musicians such as Prince, Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Jools Holland and the BB King Blues Band.
Cook took up engraving as a hobby in retirement after coming across an engraving convention in Las Vegas by chance and finding the process fascinating.
In 2018 he took a course with the Hand Engravers Association back in the UK. He described the craft as “a great hobby for any age”.
Commercial director Charles Pertwee said Cook had a wonderful ability to appreciate art and apply it to a copperplate.
“His excitement had me searching through our archive boxes for anything related to the Victorian era. Thankfully, I could satisfy his appetite by showing him some of our stunning plate designs from the late 1800s and early 1900s,” he said.
Some of the inspiration also came from the research for the Baddeley Brothers book, published in 2015, documenting the London-based family firm’s fascinating history.
Cook opted for an intricate Victorian style design in gold and red. The card also has a pop-up paper Christmas present inside.
“Being two colour and emboss, it was particularly tricky this year with it being engraved by hand and all to register. The pop-up present is just an extra surprise we added,” Pertwee explained.
Cook said he was delighted to see his design come to life as an actual card and was full of praise for the skill and passion of the Baddeley Brothers team.
“The greatest prize for me and the reason I entered was to be able to go to Baddeley Brothers and spend a day with the people there,” Cook said.
“I love factories. I grew up in them and feel at home in them. I loved talking to Charles and John, the machine operator. This is the greatest prize for me. I share their love of making things. It’s a passion that has never left me.”
“He pushed me in a good way to look at making a two colour plate and an embossing plate. This was fascinating, and now I’m totally into Victorian illustrations, all that’s down to Charles.”
Cook is a member of East London Printmakers. He attends international engraving conventions and teaches people about engraving for print.
