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Greetings,

 

Welcome to the Cooper Studio, Jefferson, Iowa, currently on leave of absence to Longmont, Colorado!

 

No matter the leave of absence, there are still artistic lessons to be had.  From a two year old, to be exact.

 

Let me set the scene:  so you have a Little Tikes slide, two plastic trucks, a blue ball, and a very outstanding :) two year old .  Surely I've already mentioned being the lucky abuela who gets to stay with Arridian while mommy and daddy are away?

 

Of course, because he is a two year old boy, and the slide is a Little Tikes slide, we did several runs with Arridian down the slide.  Then I learned how many times it takes a two year old to send two plastic trucks down the slide one at a time and think that he's practiced that skill enough.  357 times.  Then we changed it up a bit, put the blue ball in the back of one of the trucks.  Down the slide they go.  Let's call that one 243 times.  We changed it up again.  Truck #1, truck #2, and then the blue ball, one at a time.  Not a clue as to how many times that sequence happened.  (yes, I exaggerate, I did not count slide trips, but you get the picture, I am sure)

 

So now you are wondering how this applies to a painter?

 

Everybody knows kids learn by repetition, right?  Why should artists be any different?  50 paintings does not make an artist any more than a handful of trips down the slide makes a two year old a slide authority.

 

Isn't repetition just another name for practice?  If not, it should be.  Hey, advice from a two year old:  repetition is a good thing  :)

 

Later, Cooper

Greetings,

 

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Jefferson, Iowa.

 

 

I would just like to share that this painting and several others have taken up temporary residence in an Omaha, Nebraska gallery.  Dundee Gallery in Omaha is now showing my work.

 

Dundee Gallery is located at 4916 Underwood, Omaha, Nebraska.  Phone=  402 505 8333

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Later, Cooper

Greetings,

 

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Jefferson, Iowa.

 

So any holiday tidbits on the blogosphere this week should have a Valentine flair, right?  Call me a rebel, but I have a Christmas anecdote to share.  Christmas 2010 was a memorable event, in no small part due to the presence of a truly adorable grandson by the name of Arridian.  Arridian, his daddy, mommy and uncle came from Colorado to Iowa for several great days.  Arridian, at age two, is already completely at ease with the concept of grazing the Christmas cookie tray.

 

One of the Cooper family's favorite Christmas cookies is called Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies.  Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies are a nifty little fudgey cookie with a maraschino cherry buried in the middle.  The Colorado kids are now back in Colorado, but interestingly, we, in Iowa, went through a period of finding little Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies carcasses all over the house.  I would say a certain little two-year old figured out an innovative way to consume lots of cherries, without bulking up on the fudgey.  Smart boy, eh?  :)

 

But how does that story make it's way onto an artist's blog, one about painting?  When I found "cookie evidence" I immediately thought of Arridian and family and the good times we shared during their stay.  Is it a stretch of the imagination that an artist's business card can work the same way as a leftover cookie carcass?

 

Yes, that business card should have all the proper contact info--we are told to think in threes, right?  Three ways to contact us gives the painting the best chance for being sold.  Because I am overly competitive :) I use four:  website, email, USPS address and phone number.  And while many people say no to the phone number, I remain continually amazed at how many times a follow-up through that has sold a piece of art. 

 

But let's go one step further.  While those four pieces of information are helpful to a patron, they won't leave anyone with a smile or a fond memory of time well spent--or encouragement to make the purchase when they find the card in their purse a week or two later.   As creatives, surely we have the ability to go beyond the basic info, GIVE THEM A VISUAL.  Put a painting on your business card.  It's not that difficult, but if it's not in your skill set, pay somebody to do it for you.  That little bit of artwork on a business card has the power to remind the patron of the wonderful art event they visited, and the wonderful paintings they enjoyed.  Just maybe, it will remind them they need to follow up on that good feeling.

 

 

A business card with your name in fancy lettering is fine and good, but consider leaving behind a bit of the good stuff.  Add a painting to that little card, and well...as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

Later, Cooper

Greetings,

 

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Jefferson, Iowa, on a fine February 11th!

 

Did you come here hoping to hear about the values of life drawing?  They are many. 

 

Good news, bad news:  I have this really big canvas sitting on the easel right now, and I just had the aha moment that told me it's darks aren't nearly dark enough, and I am on my way to rushing to the studio to put a nice juicy layer of ultramarine over a good chunk of said canvas.  So about the many values of life drawing, can we do a rain-check on that, puh-lease?

 

And for now just suffice to say, life drawing, I am always the student, and happy to have such a great opportunity for study!  Two drawings from last night's session:

 

  

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Later, Cooper

Greetings,

 

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Jefferson, Iowa.  Let's talk color today.  After all, it IS one of my favorite subjects.

 

Once in a while (okay, more than once in a while) I get that kind of comment.  You know, they say things like "wow, bright".  I used to be concerned.  Now I understand they probably have a Terry Redlin print hanging over their fireplace.  Dios mio.

 

So, that title, amarillo, rojo, and azul.  Next week I get to spend some time with my favorite Colorado two-year-old.  His mommy and daddy are determinedly teaching him both English and Spanish.  They will be away for a week, so I get to hang out with Arridian. 

 

I think maybe we can spend some time talking color.  He can teach me how to say amarillo--I don't get the r's very well.  And I can tell him about painting with a very primary colored palette-- yellow, red, and blue.

 

In fact, my ultramarine, cad red med, and cad yellow (amarillo!) deep, share palette space with titanium white, violet, and sap green.  But that's the extent of it--those six, so when I say limited palette, I am sincere.

 

I often wonder how people that accept abstracted paintings so readily, think that a tree must be green and all people must be "flesh" colored?  They observe somebody's canvas with paint dribbles or globs smeared all over it, and say "hmm, interesting"--I give a figure nice cad red skin and they say something like, "wow, that person really had a bad sunburn".  Huh?  Sometimes I tell them about the warmth and immediacy of the color red.  How the painting wouldn't do what I wanted it to if the person had "normal" colored skin.  I tell them that when I have cad yellow (amarillo!) on my brush, I feel like I am spreading sunshine around on the canvas.  And that blue works for  people's various attributes just as much as it does for skies and lakes/oceans!  Aaaah, color, don't you just love it?!

 

I think tomorrow could be a very interesting day at the easel.  I'll let you know  :)

 

Later, Cooper

 

Greetings,

 

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Jefferson, Iowa.

 

Yes, we all know that I tend to whine about winter.  OH. WELL. 

 

I love summer, and by now, we all know that also.  But I would not call myself a summer princess, so that's your clue for knowing that it's the name of this painting.  Just some people on the sidewalk in Omaha last summer.  Aah, summer.....

 

Enjoy the painting.  And of course, it's in my portfolio, for a zoom-in view.  

  Summer Princess, acrylic painting on a perfect little 12 x 12 inch canvas.  Click on that colored word "portfolio" in line 7 up above for a zoom view.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Later, Cooper

Greetings,

 

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Jefferson, Iowa.  And dang, but the blizzard is here.

 

So what is there to do but paint some summer?   Or fond memories thereof?

 

So, Park Path Buddies.  Acrylic painting on a perfect little 12 inch canvas.  Aaaah.  Summer.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Later, Cooper