Anna Cooper Nelson

Anna Cooper Nelson is an abstract artist validating her experiences and thoughts through both large and small scale mixed-media watercolors. Inspired by Cy Twombly’s paintings and Anne Lamott’s writings, Nelson uses her day to day experiences to inform her mark-making and color choices.

Leaning heavily into the act of blind contour to document her immediate surroundings onto the surface of the watercolor, she hopes to create a visual story both preserving and sharing her day to day experiences. Leveraging her education as both a fine artist and graphic designer, Nelson’s work often depicts a careful balance between chaos and configuration. Nelson also has explored the world of sculptural installation through her work The Study of What Remains.

Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Anna Cooper Nelson currently lives and works in Denver, Colorado.

B.A. in Visual Communications and a B.A. in General Art from Judson University. Graduated magna cum laude.

selected exhibitions:

6th Annual Square Foot Show
The Arts of Life North Shore Studio, Glenview, IL
March 2017

Syncopation
Union Street Gallery, Chicago Heights, IL
April 2017

Wirehouse Co. Daily Artist
wirehouseco.com, Chicago, IL
May 2017

The Study of What Remains
Comfort Station, Logan Square, Chicago, IL
July 2017

Small Talk II
Essentia Chicago, Chicago, IL
July - August 2017

One Square Foot
Redline, Denver, CO
October 2017

2016

La Mer | La Mère (The Mother | The Sea)
St Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN
September 2016
St Mary’s University, Winona, MN
October 2016

Small Talk
Essentia Chicago, Chicago, IL
July - October 2016

Collective : Observations
Emergent Gallery, Aurora, IL
April 2016

5th Annual Square Foot Show
The Arts of Life North Shore Studio, Glenview, IL
March 2016