Elaine Manning Crook was born on February 25, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. She attended the Art Institute of Chicago Saturday classes from seventh grade through high school. Upon graduation she attended the AIC on a one-year scholarship. She also took classes at the University of Chicago during this time.

In 1962 she married William F. Crook and moved to Arizona. She first free-lanced as a fashion illustrator from 1962-1965. Later she enrolled at Arizona State University until becoming the art director for KAET, the schools educational television station, in 1966. While at the station she began drawing Native American symbols. Her interest in Native American cultures grew and she began to paint. Unable to find enough time to pursue her interest while working at KAET, she resigned in 1972. E. Manning Crook has traveled widely to reservations and pueblos throughout the southwest. She uses a variety of media for her art and her subjects include Native American women and girls, men and views of villages.

Crooks work also includes sketches of the Oregon coast. Crook has exhibited in Arizona for over twenty years.