LARA COOPER- ARTIST

The Exhibition.

2012-01-04T22:23:00.000-08:00

2012

2012-01-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

Two Thousand and Twelve is off to a bang with Victor Harbor Art Show in a couple of weeks (13th - 21st Jan)...followed shortly thereafter by my solo exhibit for the whole month of Feb at the Moonta Town Hall Gallery. Just got to get my art to the right venues at the right time, come up with some nifty flyers and babysit the gallery every weekend in Feb...in between Im flying to Vic for a long weekend for my sisters engagement, going to Adelaide for the theatre and shopping and beginning a degree. And thats just me. Yes, the next couple of months shall be stupendous!

Three art students...

2011-11-15T19:21:00.001-08:00

I officially have three students. Now to make the most of the moments in between and make sure I still get plenty of painting work done! Just entered Victor Harbor Art Show which is held in Jan. An entirely last minute thing, as I just happened to search the site two days before entry is due. Why do I always do that?? Anyhow, Im entered.
Must go paint for a little while. Before kids are home and painting student number 2 is requiring my tuition.

Private Art Tuition.

2011-11-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Having been approached several times on the topic of painting lessons, Ive decided to jump into the arena and start private art tuition at my home. In order to do this we have had to "make some space" until our home extention is done and I have my"proper" studio. I have adequate space to begin and will personally enjoy having some studio space of my own in our beach shack. I look forward to teaching what I know about painting to some pretty cool people who have already shown definate interest. Havent done much painting this past week or so as Ive been shovelling cow manure and making my garden sing. My feet havent been singing...actually theyve been rather disgusting. But yes, my plants are oh so happy now... so turning my attention back to painting. I went into the local gallery space in Moonta this week to show my face and make sure they remembered me...in anticipation of my exhibition in Feburary 2012. Phew, yep they did remember me. Not long til Christmas which translates as "crazy season", and is not conducive to producing artworks. So I have a few weeks to be ever so productive and boost my present art stocks for February's exhibition. Therefore will have new art to post soon. Until then...xx

2011-10-25T02:47:00.000-07:00

Yeah I might have been slightly overreacting with regard to my previous post...the dirt has almost all brushed off now its dry and whats left surely adds to the authenticity of my work! I am over using picassa to try and edit my photographs of paintings though...seriously cannot make it produce correct colouring. This painting does not have the intensity of blue as it appears here. Ill need to look at getting something more substantial for photo editing.

2011-10-17T22:29:00.001-07:00

Oh yes, it was looking good...one might even say fantastic.... until it blew over and fell into the dirt. Now my oil painting is covered in stuff and I cant touch it until its dry :( Who...I ask ask you, who paints outside in the wind??? If it wasnt for Switchfoot right now I might have trouble dealing with this particular reality. Egads.

Onions and a crab claw

2011-10-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Todays offering...cant quite get the colour right to real life...it is looking a little on the green side. But you get the idea.

Not really the promised goods...

2011-09-19T00:23:00.000-07:00

Another painting to post. As the title mentions, this is not really the promised fruit of artistic thinking. But to be fair I started this one a long time ago. Im personally quite pleased to have it finished so I can clear my plate and start fresh in a new direction. Not that Im not happy with this work, I am. Finally. Its been a little rotter. But its done and Im happy. Like someone once told me, portraiture is a picutre of someone with something wrong with the mouth...or something like that. Yep, I think that holds here. But Ive worked at this sucker until I pulled out what I think I am able to pull out at this stage. Its a good thing to know when to put down the paint brush. This is Minette, my lovely daughter.

Lets get interesting...

2011-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

So, Ive been thinking (always dangerous) and well, I think its time to start some sort of cohesive relationship between this art gift I have, and the journey of my heart. So far I have generally painted within fairly safe, straight lines of predictability. Thats not really thinking too creatively...I see something that appeals to me, I paint it. While its kind of honourable I guess to be attempting to replicate beauty; if thats my only aim I think I am already outdone by a thousand artists before me and indeed by God himself. And whilst replicating beauty demands a fairly whopping dose of skill and patience, it lacks somewhat on the side of meaning, unless I am satisified with beauty being an end in itself. I guess it is; and I will sometime just paint beauty. But there is another level which I have hesitated to go into because its risky...that is that I begin to put my heart on a canvas...what I not on see with my eyes, but what I perceive in my soul. The anguish as well as the beauty; the journey, the search, the heartache. There's a lot more to me, and the observations I make of the world, of life, and God, than just painting a painting for the sake of painting it. I am boring myself with the boundary Ive been contented to paint within. I hereby open myself to the danger of critisicm and condemnation (be it all in my own mind!) and begin to think (and then hopefully produce artwork) in a new direction. Im more interested in my art career already!

Before I get to that, I do have a couple of paintings in the "previous category" to submit here. May the beauty of scenes etc that I continue to paint, be a refreshing interlude to the paintings of great meaning I intend to create from here on in!

Here's to thinking like an artist!

Elodie Sleeping

2011-06-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

This painting almost fell off my brush...a lovely sensation. Its done from a photo of my daughter Elodie a few years ago.

Two paintings I actually like in two days.

2011-05-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

Im pretty happy; painted one of these yesterday...liked it and thought I wouldnt get time today to paint but I did, and I like that one too. If I can keep this up, this exhibition thing will be no problemo.

Yay!

2011-05-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

I entered my first oil masterpiece in a local show, and it turns out that the judge was an artist who pains abstract australian landscape...so my traditional portrait just wasnt gonna cut it...should have put in some watercolours! But I wasnt that organised. I attended the show opening, my first that Ive ever been too...with my friend Merissa who is a total dag and we had a great time!
Anyhow, I didnt win a prize as such, BUT I sold my painting and I won the Peoples Choice award...so that makes up for it; almost!
I have a bit of a fire in my belly to paint; got lots to do to prepare for my local exhibition in February if I am going to fill an entire gallery with my work exclusively! Aaagh!
Im back into watercolours, so one of my fans will breathe a sigh of relief...but gonna do some oils too, IF I have the time. They take so long! Watercolour is definately the better choice for a Mum with three kids and a short attention span. :)

Zella of Florentino's

2011-04-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I think she's finished! Yay! So happy to be able to sign it and say, ok, finito, ...I think! What do you think??? For my first official "gonna put it out there" oil?? I have lots to learn, but it feels like an achievement! :)

Epic oil

2011-03-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

Well epic for me anyhow. Ive been tackling this one on and off for a while now. I do a bit, then it gets on my goat. Its pretty tight, but hey Im still getting used to this oils caper. It will be called "Zella of Florentinos" - the woman Zella (awesome name- so suits her) runs Florentinos, a great cafe filled with interesting things she has collected, artworks and poems and artifacts; and serves great coffee and food. Its always busy! Zella is beautiful and intriguing- strength mixed with frailty, and I suspect many interesting stories from life to tell.

New Year?

2011-01-10T00:51:00.000-08:00

K so not so sure what the year is going to hold...never am. But got a commissioned portrait on the go (good start), and have some plans boiling away on the back burner. Im never short of ideas. Perhaps a slighty larger portion of discipline wouldnt go astray!
For now its school hols and so plenty of distraction around - its always difficult to do a great amount with kidlets underfoot. Not good for concentration or production.
But the beach is BEAutiful and were enjoying a splendid summer in SA!
Will keep you posted!

Stop Press!

2010-12-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

This is a momentous occasion. I am actually updating my blog...crazy I know! So...havent really had access to the net and havent written a thing on here for nearly twelve months. But all thats history. This year I have managed to pick up a couple of minor awards, made a few painting sales....not too shabby. Been working on an oil that gets fitted in between other more pressing demands. I shall upload a pic shortly. Todays big achievements included figuring out how to get back into here as I could not for the life of me remember what my password was, but even worse, what email addy I had used to set up the account. Kind of problematic. The other great achievement today was catching 6 crabs....yeah! Just down the road. Din dins.

New oil painting

2009-10-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

I have once again embarked on the more tedious of painting projects; a portrait in oils. This is only my second oil painting so Im learning as I go, but quite enjoy the process...how you think its as good as you can get it, and walk away, only to pick up the brush the next day and find many ways to tweak, and many tones to refine. So this is a work in progress, and I will post another picture when I have completed it, but hope you enjoy a squiz at it thus far. Its my daughter Elodie, being gorgeous as usual.

Painting...finally

2009-10-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hey to all my non-existant readers and 3 followers who may or may not read this. Its highly unexciting to everyone else really, but just thought I would add to my quiet little blog, that I am painting today....finally. Havent in a while, so its worth noting for me!
Next hurdle...will it work...
Got a few things going on...hanging out on Mondays in Spiritus. Putting some stuff in an art sale in Nov. Looking forward to getting some fresh paintings out and about.
Anyhow, thats my big news.

Opening of "Spiritus" Gallery in Yack

2009-08-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

Had a great night at the opening of Spiritus - a new art craft gallery in Yackandandah. Heaps of people attended and it seems many are suprised to find that I paint! Or at least they seem pleasantly surprised that I paint well! I have a few things in there so anyone who wants an arvo drive can head up and check it out.
It was a really good night for Yack, so good to have something new and "arty" and I wish Christine and David all the best!

Finished!!

2009-07-14T02:35:00.000-07:00

Yay! So its been paint brushes down for one day, and now Im madly packing for Melbourne but cant wait for some chilling time after this insane endeavour! Im totally spent! Four weeks of painting between things like the of last week of term school activities, then school hols, two lots of family visiting and my American friend Rachel visiting presently! Needless to say I feel very much like I have run a marathon...not joking. I am losing it. Just ask Rachel. And Brett. And for those who are interested, whilst I appreciated the advice to go see a movie...I didnt have a car so I went for a walk and had a sleep. Is that still ok? And then I went to a movie on Saturday. So there was a breather in there somewhere. :)
Will let you know what it is like to have a painting at a media launch for a new CD...stay tuned. Oh, and there will be some birds in the final installation, which dont appear here, because that will all be attached on site...but will take some pics and post my "artist statement" so my hundreds of followers can trip out over that.

King Valley Win

2009-06-30T02:18:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I was delighted to find out I had won a Watercolour award at King Valley Art Show. This is a photo of the winning artwork "Washing Up" with the prize sponsers.

I was re-reading yesterdays blog...I think I have some sort of painter's fatigue!

Leisure painting

2009-06-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

So there is such a thing as leisure painting...painting for sheer recreational pleasure, but it occurs to me that very few people realise that a good painting doesnt just flow out of a person in some intense out-of-body, mindless experience. I would equate painting to life...in that just as it seems nothing good in life comes without deep thought, practice, discipline and plain hard work...neither does good painting.
I think we just all like the idea of these things being easy and natural...it seems more poetic and fairytale-like if things all just effortlessly fall into place - we love that stuff! I dont think Ive come across an aspect of life yet that works like that. Of course, that doesnt mean its without its pleasure or joy...but results come at a cost.
To be able to mindlessly vomit on a canvas and expect order out of chaos, is rather unrealistic dont you think?

Disputable Claims

2009-06-25T04:25:00.000-07:00

I recently read a post in a blog, notably titled "Boring Blog" that stated there is an artist in my town who believes himself to be the most famous artist in Yackandandah. This is probably a fair claim, particularly if we are talking in the field of painting. However, I have new information that might challenge this position...fresh information. The kind of information that one would almost bust to know. And then I wonder, how do we measure fame anyhow - by how long one has been painting or by how well known a name? There is the kind of fame thats good to have and then sometimes its good not to be famous...it depends on where the fame is generated from and what it is for. On all accounts it seems Yack might need to prepare itself for famous artists; plural.

The first's continue...

2009-06-23T21:20:00.001-07:00

So as well as all the other stuff I do...normal stuff like being a Mum etc., things that us Mum's do for the love of kids, like cook Thai food for the entire primary school....yeah as well as those kind of things I have been becoming artistically active since hitting the shores of my home country. I was quite determined to do so, so this doesnt confuse me from a personal committment type level...but whats with all the exterior busyness?? First, the Dappled Cities gig, now Ive been asked to teach some promising high schoolers the fine art of painting. Im thinking this will be cool...its a first, never done it before, but I get to work with kids who are actually interested and showing potential. Did I ever mention Im supposed to be working in Christine's new gallery "Spiritus" as well??? No problem, Im sure there is time to paint in there somewhere. Yeah...the quiet introspective life of an artist. How's the serenity?

First time for everything

2009-06-23T01:35:00.000-07:00

Hey people...everyone else has a blog, so I thought I would get one too. Since its all about who can get the most followers, so we will see how we go on the follower tally. Oh and mine is also about art, cause things seem to be ramping up and I actually do have some stuff to report. So it might even be worth reading. A lot of firsts lately, including first painting in oils since well techincally I did one for my sister's 21st, but that was like over a decade ago....but that was just a one off. This time I painted a copy of Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring", and really Tania you should probably throw out that old birthday pressie cause this ones heaps better, but Im not giving it to you. Then I have been selected as one of 12 artists to come up with some sort of fantastic visual art for a band called Dappled Cities, who are launching a new CD in July. This is a new first...never done anything like this before! Plus Im using acrylics, which gosh, takes me back to highschool...year 12 art I think! So first time in a long time with that too. Still watercolouring...just did the biggest watercolour Ive done. Check out my recently updated website too...none of those paintings I have just mentioned are on there, but there are a few other new ones too. Have fun!