Inside the Studio: Maddox Artist in Residence Cooper Shares His Vision - Part I

Cooper in Maddox Shepherd Market Gallery

Your works are resolutely positive. How do you describe your painting style?

My still-lifes are autobiographical, not unlike Matisse or Hilary Pecis. They are a visual journal of everyday scenes that I am around and which are around me. Filled with beautiful, radiating, positive patterns and things that mean enough to me to spend time painting them, my work is a representation of my journey as an artist.

You left your home in Indiana last month to join us in London as a Maddox Artist in Residence. How have you found the transition?

Ever since I arrived, I’ve had the warmest of welcomes. The location is of course fantastic. I have been to Maddox Shepherd Market twice before, including for my first solo show with Maddox, so I know a little bit of the area. I’m excited to be back and painting in this new environment. I already feel like I’ve settled in. 

Cooper at work as part of his residency

How have you customised the space at Maddox Shepherd Market?

Firstly, there are plants everywhere. At home, I am surrounded by plants and greenery. They are a recurring theme in my work and immediately bring a sense of home to the space. I also like to surround myself with art books, which I have recreated here. They are a great source of inspiration and comfort. I also had several works shipped over from Indiana so that the walls weren’t bare when I arrived. Being surrounded by my paintings — both finished art on the walls and works in progress on easels — immediately makes me feel at home.

Has the way you work changed since arriving in London?

When I’m working in Indiana, there’s a real sense of isolation. At home, I work in a secluded studio, with no one but my dog for company. As a Maddox Artist in Residence, I am painting live, often with an audience. This means I’m more exposed, with people able to see my whole process. I’m out of my comfort zone and that feels good — it will enable me to evolve as an artist. 

Cooper with a selection of his works

What is your routine here in London?

I have to be fully immersed when I’m painting, so I start work early and paint all day. I’ve always been incredibly disciplined. It helps to keep my life in balance. By reducing the choices in my life, in terms of what I eat, what I wear and what surrounds me, it means the decisions I do make are purely creative. As for the weekends, I’m relishing the chance to immerse myself in London’s rich artistic culture. Last weekend, I visited the Tate, this weekend the Royal Academy. 

When you undertook your Artist Residency in Maddox Gallery Gstaad, suddenly mountains, hotels and fields of flowers found their way into your work. Can we expect the same from your London residency?

London is such a contrast to Indiana. I’m really enjoying walking the streets taking photos, finding new patterns and discovering new colour compositions that will inevitably find their way into my canvases going forward. One of the main things I want to achieve while I’m here is to invite new meanings with my paintings. That is ultimately what I’m searching for.

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Being in London, you have become part of a thriving community of Maddox artists in the UK. Who are you looking forward to meeting most?

I’m excited to meet other Maddox artists who until now I’ve only been able to admire from afar.  While I’m here, I plan on spending time with Ross Muir and Nick Grindrod, and visiting Dairo Vargas’ studio in Brixton to get a better insight into his practice. 

You have a solo exhibition planned for June at our new Berkeley Street gallery. How will your time in London influence the show?

When I arrived in town, my fiancé and I were welcomed into our Mayfair apartment by Maddox with a bouquet of flowers and a chilled bottle of champagne. These motifs immediately found their way into the first canvas I created here. My London experience will undoubtedly feed into the themes and direction of the exhibition. Maddox Berkeley Street is an incredible space and will be the largest space I’ve ever exhibited in, which will allow me to push the scale of both my canvases and my ambition.

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