Shosh Cooper's Paintings

I started painting, at first using oil paints, in the Winter of 1990. Later, I tried acrylic paint which I found offered even greater flexibility. As my work evolved, I began to abstract from the world around me while maintaining some figurative elements.

In November 1996, after seeing the Jasper Johns show at the Museum of Modern Art, I became intrigued by several of Johns' lesser known works which were labeled as acrylic on plastic. Since I was already using acrylic paint by that time, I decided to try using a clear polyester film that is very similar to mylar. Immediately, I found that the paint moved more easily as it was applied and when I turned the work over to the opposite side, I discovered that the color was much more intense.

I have since developed my technique so that the reverse side (the unpainted side) is always my finished product, although some paintings could have both sides displayed. The results have been quite striking, although there is very little resemblance to the Johns' works that originally inspired me. I found that one of the most effective ways to display these pieces was to mount them on Plexiglas which lead me to paint directly on Plexiglas.

I continue to experiment with new methods of applying and removing paint to create varied effects. Color remains an important element in my work while I am attempting to develop what I call flat texture, the varied effects on the very flat reverse side of the plastic.

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