Born and raised on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, John Cook was inspired at age 8 by a sketching group he observed, led by Boston painter William Morris Hunt. Later he studied in Boston with Joseph DeCamp and returned to Gloucester to record scenes of the local waterfront. He is known for his watercolors, simplicity of design, and emphasis on light and shade.

Cook became a member of the Society of Independent Artists, the Boston Art Club, the Gloucester Society of Artists, and the North Shore Arts Association. For many years, he had a gallery in the Hawthorne Inn on Easter Point Road.