Eileen Cooper, who lives and paints at Woodridge Lake in Goshen, is having her first major showing at the Kent Art Association as part of the March Invitational Show, on view from March 8 to 30.
The exhibit opens with a reception Friday, March 8, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Cooper will be displaying 20 works in various styles, including large works (some 36×36, others as wide as 60 inches) and smaller works.
The Art Association is in a converted former home and her paintings will take up half of the living room to the left of the entrance, sharing the space with a sculptor’s works.
“My pieces are a combination of my Fauve portraits and also large whimsical pieces that are older,” the artist said in a phone interview. “I also recently finished two larger pieces.”
While Cooper is a member of the Connecticut Botanical Society and creates classical botanical illustrations, she’s also known for a style that’s more intensely Expressionistic.
“My paintings express life’s energy by capturing, on canvas, the immediacy of each subject’s fragile time signature. Edges vibrate. Rich hues add depth and strength. Bold brushstrokes drive action and flow – the brisk pulse of flowers, leaves, vegetables, and faces. Line moves, color moves, nothing stands still,” the artist says on her website.
In her Fauvist approach, Cooper paints portraits “that interpret my compositions’ psychological spirit using non-restrictive color.”
A professor, teacher, author, and artist who has traveled the world, Cooper taught in the field of gifted and talented education. Her last position was in New Milford Public Schools, coordinating the gifted and talented program.
The Kent Art Association is open Thursday through Sunday, from 1 to 5 p.m. It’s located at 21 S. Main St. in Kent center. The phone number is 860-927-3989 and the website is kentart.org.
To learn more about Eileen Cooper and her artwork, see the artist’s website at www.eicoo.net.