Visual Arts: Art plus

Richard Cook was always a good painter, but in recent years he has worked himself free of the heady influences that once dogged his work. His thick licks and sweeps of paint, often inches deep on the canvas, still draw comparison with Kossoff or Auerbach, but these days the marks he makes are entirely his own.

An excellent selection of new work is at Austin Desmond, 68 Great Russell Street, London WC1 (0171-242 4443) until 10 October.