Conversations of People Watching – paintings by Karen Cooper
On view through July 11, 2020
Karen Cooper is a people watcher. She does this with intensity and then paints it.
“I have seen so many amazingly interesting people out in the world, and I see no other path but to share them with viewers who need to revel in these fascinating images too,” Karen said.
While this longing is present, the absolute necessity of the matter, and what drives her forward, is that the painting must be a thing of substance and solidity and interest and beauty.
Cooper’s current work is oil on canvas and is focused on people and their daily routines, and the thought-provoking images they make. It’s the simple stuff that we all do, but when you attach it to a person, it communicates something of each one of us, to the other of us. And then there occurs that magic moment in which the story appears, and the painting becomes alive.
About the Artist:
Karen Cooper was born and raised in Nebraska and then moved across the river to live in Iowa. From 2013 thru 2017, Karen lived in Lipetsk, Russia – long enough for the power and beauty of Russian impressionist art to make a potent impact. Study with a talented figurative artist while in Lipetsk, increased the desire/need to draw with substance and clarity, as part of the painting process.
Karen has now returned to live and paint in Grinnell, Iowa.