Nicole Cooper

Born in 1983 in St. Louis, MO, I began drawing at an early age. I studied at The Kansas City Art Institute, where I found a passion for painting the human figure. During the summer of 2006, I completed a competitive Summer Residency Program with Yale University in Norfolk, CT. I then moved back to my hometown after graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Painting from KCAI in 2007. To enhance my practice, I was selected to participate in a Painting Weekend Master Class taught by Vincent Desiderio at the New York Academy in 2014. In support of my studio and artistic practice, this year I’m proud to have been awarded an Artist Support Grant from the Regional Arts Commission in St. Louis.

My work is shown locally and nationally. Currently, my investigation of the human figure takes place in my St. Louis studio, where I create two bodies of work.

The Body in Bloom:
I am best known for my “Body in Bloom” paintings that use energetic brushwork, vivid colors, and layers of unfurling flesh to explore humanity as a continuously evolving force.

Ink Wash Series:
My ink washes, by nature, are at play with the unexpected. I begin with a simple concept or facial expression. My hand guides as black ink spills, seeps, drips and pools ac...

2014
Painting Master Class, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY.

2007
Bachelor in Fine Arts Degree, focus in Painting. Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO.

2006
Competitive Summer Residency, Yale University, New Haven, CT.

2004
Associate in Fine Arts Degree. St. Louis Community College at Meramec, Kirkwood, MO.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2019
Nicole Cooper: Interwoven. The Schmidt Art Center, Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville, IL. (forthcoming)

2014
The Body in Bloom: Recent Paintings by Nicole Cooper. Space Architecture & Design, St. Louis, MO.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2018
Wall Ball 2018. Third Degree Glass Factory, St. Louis, MO.
Open Theme Annual 2018, Webster Arts, St. Louis, MO.

2017
Holiday Open House. Maplewood, MO.
Open Studios STL. Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, MO.
Looking Among Us, Cross Cultural Connections. Jewish Vocational Services, Kansas City, MO.
Elemental. Knox Gallery of Art, St. Louis, MO.
Art at City Hall. Chesterfield City Hall, Chesterfield, MO.
4th Annual Living Mark. Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, OR.
10th Annual Human Form in Art. Hilliard Gallery, Kansas City, MO.
33 March. My SLArt, The Old Orchard Gallery, Webster Groves, MO.

2016
Open Studios STL. Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, MO.
Serendipity. Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO.
Flesh, Revealing a Passion for Paint. Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, OR.
Clearly Human II. St. Louis Artist's Guild, St. Louis, MO.
Creatures. Art St. Louis, St. Louis, MO.

For more exhibition history, please visit: http://www.nicolecoop...