About Us

Nanci Cook has lived on Quadra Island for more than 20 years with her husband and partner Tracy Tomlinson. Creating and operating Firesign Art & Design is a culmination of her life’s work: blending her love of art and the beauty of the islands with her training and experience in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Nanci Cook was a studio potter for 14 years on Hornby Island, BC after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Arts & Crafts and their History from the University of Santa Cruz, California.

Arthritis, and chronic pain made pottery impossible after 1990. Nanci took training and certification in Food Safe, Super Host, Food & Beverage Management and graduated from North Island College with her diploma in Tourism & Hospitality in 2000. She then studied drawing, painting and graphic design at North Island College in Courtenay BC for two years.

Nanci created Firesign Art & Design Studio and B&B with Tracy and hosted painting workshops taught by guest artists for 8 years.  Now she is painting and selling some of her paintings and cards locally an online, still running the bed and breakfast. Please have a look at her painting gallery.

Self-taught designer of several websites, Nanci attended online web design course with Selkirk College and has her certificate in basic HTML and CSS web design, PHP and MYSQL at the end of April 2012. Web Design by Nanci Cook

Tracy Tomlinson has lived on Quadra Island for more than 35 years. He worked 21 years as deckhand and engineer on the Quadra ferry to Campbell River. Now disabled due to knee replacements, he has been making cigar box guitars-it has become his passion! You can learn more about this soon on his website www.tracytomlinson.com (still in design mode)

and on his facebook page