The Great Divide Painting

James Douglas Cooper is an Australian artist living and working between Sydney & California. He studied in Sydney, Australia and holds a degree in Visual Communications + Design and has lived abroad for many years in Europe and America. His work is inspired most directly by a combination of mysticism, the metaphysical and the visible natural environment, specifically the oceans and marine environments. Cooper likes to layer and texture his work, building up images up over a period of time – often taking months just to complete one image. His practice has always revolved around drawing as a way of seeing and understanding / interpreting the world around him. Time living and working abroad in London, Dublin, New York and Los Angeles has informed Cooper's process and influenced his aesthetic notions. A recent trip to Japan opened Cooper's eyes to a new way of seeing and his drawn and painted works have undoubtedly been influenced by this Japanese aesthetic. James was hand picked by world art experts to show as one of the very best emerging artists at The Other Art Fair's Australian Sydney and Melbourne shows presented by Saatchi Art in 2018. He held his second solo show ERSTWHILE in Sydney in September 2018. His works are held in private collections in the USA and Australia. His influences include Robert Rauschenberg, Brett Whiteley, Mark Rothco, Cy Twombly, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, René Magritte & Alex Katz.