Jaw cooper biography

J.A.W. Cooper was born in England to a South African/British mother and an American father--both freshwater ecologists. She grew up traveling for their research and professor exchanges, living in Kenya, Sweden, Ireland and traveling across Europe. Home base was Southern California between trips, sabbaticals, and longer stays in other countries. Cooper's mother always practiced art, in particular scientific illustration, and from an early age she was eager to learn how to perform the same kind of "magic." Between her parent's dedication to ecology, their extensive traveling, and her mother's skill as an artist Cooper was primed to be fascinated with flora and fauna and obsessed with capturing them in sketches and paintings.

FLESK: What experience do you hope viewers have while looking at your art?

COOPER: It would be outstanding if a collection of small woodland creatures emerged out of the shadows and gently climbed the viewer to rest on their s

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Wanderlust works of J.A.W. Cooper: Interview

I would say that it is both a compulsion and a career – and I keep those two separated as much as I can. My work that people are familiar with (that is available to see online) are either studies / sketches, editorial, or gallery work – which is all essentially my personal work. Professionally I work as a freelance illustrator for the entertainment and advertising industry doing everything from sketch art to storyboards to character design and a ton of initial exploration and ideation. I absolutely adore my job even though the work I produce is not “mine,” and it allows me the freedom to work half the month and spend the rest of my time camping, traveling, and working on personal projects. My personal work keeps me excited about what I do and informs my “taste” (for which I am hired), and my professional work keeps my personal work from stagnating, allows me to feel like a useful member of a team, and frees me up financially

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J.A.W. Cooper – Folktales from an Alternate Reality – Artist Interview

J.A.W. Cooper deftly constructs her compositions and narratives with a majestically flowing line, which is simultaneously filled with both an unwavering confidence and a tangible vulnerability. This sense of duality is cleverly echoed within her female protagonists and their animal companions, through whom Cooper explores the complexities and contradictions of the human spirit and our equally complex relationships with the animal kingdom and the natural world we all inhabit. Through a surrealistic lens, symbolism and metaphor are employed with a sophistication which allows Cooper the leverage to communicate concepts sparked by the wealth of inspiration provided to her by the arenas of science, philosophy, psychology and folklore.

J.A.W. Cooper was born in England, although, due to the nature of her parents work (freshwater ecology), she grew up all over the world, in countries such as Kenya, Sweden