New website

Hey! Just letting all my dedicated followers know that my website has been updated for the first time in heck...I dont know how long. So, do drop by when you get the chance and have a look around. I'm keen to hear your comments! www.laracooper.com.au

Thanks to Rachael, my ever supportive supporter in all things artistic and otherwise....and generous, gracious Annette, together we make three!  What a lovely way to close the art exhibit...dinner at the Seagate, bubbly, a walk on the jetty with a magnificent sunset, by the Divine Artist (This photo does not do it justice). What could be better?

Art Show a great success!

Well...it's not quite finished, but the first solo exhibit of Lara Cooper has been met with enthusiasm and much positive feedback. I had the pleasure of addressing two groups from the University of the Third Age on Monday; which was also the day Ava forgot to come in...whoops! But we rectified that and the cuppas were on the go before too long. The show is open for one last weekend....got my peeps from Vic coming. Total troopers, and very supportive of not just my art, but me! Couldnt do it without them :) Looking forward to a moment to paint; although this month is just not painting friendly, with Uni commencing. Just want also to mention my Aunty Pauline, who passed away a week or so ago. A talented, creative woman, dedicated to her family, who will be missed by many.  But peace is now hers, eternally.

The Exhibition.

2012

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...

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.

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

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.

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

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...

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...

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

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.

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!

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

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

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?

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!

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

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.