This month dot-art speaks to artist Simon Cooper.
“With these paintings, I’m not truly sure as to what they represent; do they describe better now than then, a situation so dreadful and devastatingly life-levelling that it was extremely difficult to paint whilst experiencing, or do they show what is happening now and which continues to happen every day – that of life flooding in at every opportunity?
They definitely show a massive change of direction within myself and within my art; instead of a frozen moment in time, an ‘Eno-esque’ ambient mood of momentary stillness & stasis that has saturated my work since the mid-1980’s, these new works show movement, albeit upon stormy and tempestuous waters, with swell that threatens to capsize and swallow at any and every moment.
My trajectory is altered, destination unknown – yet the content clearly shows a new and very real way forward….” – Simon Cooper
Can you describe your style?
I’ve been told my style is Abstract Expressionism!
Which medium do you work with and what do you like about it specifically?
Oil paint – I like it’s texture and ability to be moved around on the board
Can you talk us through your process? Do you begin with a sketch, or do you just go straight in? How long do you spend on one piece? How do you know when it is finished?
I just go straight in and work it out from there, but I’ve usually got an idea in my head to start with. Time spent on a piece – that depends on what I wish to express as well as the complexity of working it out combined with the size and scale of the board. I usually know when painting is complete when I have less to work on than when I started – seriously, I see the finished work appear before my eyes yet I feel inside that there’s nothing left to do on it anymore apart from sign the finished work.
When did you begin your career in art?
When I was 5 years old, walking across the meadows near where I lived with my dad and the dog and watching trees silhouetted by the sodium lights of the road; I was always watching the symmetry of the trees within the landscape, seeing how they would position themselves into my creation of harmony.
Who or what inspires your art?
Currently the sea is an influence – as much as landscape has been in the past for me; the weather is another factor – cloud formations, sunsets, atmospheric conditions; another factor is emotional turbulence – where I am in a given situation and how I feel about it.
Why is art and creativity important to you?
It’s in my DNA so I have to answer the call; it makes me complete, whole, wiser.
What do you gain from being a member with dot-art?
the opportunity to show paintings to a new audience; the communication between the gallery and myself is important as I can always learn something.
What are you working on at the moment?
Developing the current theme of paintings with sunsets, clouds, twilight, seas – always trying to make it better than the last one!
What was the best advice given to you as an artist?
“You need to finish it” spoken by my art teacher; I’d painted a view from the Art Room window but had avoided reflections in windows on a building nearby – basically being lazy and hoping I could get away with it. He advised to finish the work by putting the reflections in, which, once I’d work out how to do – I did! The result was worth it, so I always push to ‘finish’ each painting to that given standard. I still have that painting, and I’m still in contact with the art teacher!
Discover more of Simon Cooper’s work on our online shop!