Pam Cooper

Pam Cooper, born in the United Kingdom, moved to The United States in 1990 and studied at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York graduating in 1994.

She has exhibited in numerous shows nationally including P.S. 122 Gallery, Carriage House at Islip Museum in New York, the New Jersey State Museum, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, Austin Museum of Art, Texas and the Arthur Ross Gallery Philadelphia. She was awarded the opportunity to participate in the Artist in the Market Place program at the Bronx Museum.

Cooper's work is included in the artist files at The Drawing Center, Pierogi 2000 and Momenta in New York City and the Arts Commission Gallery in San Francisco. In 2003 she participated in the New Jersey Fine Arts Annual at The Morris Museum, Morristown, New Jersey and in 2004 won a scholarship for a residency at the Vermont Studio Workshop.

Statement:
Creating mixed media work by using my skills as a sculptor, printer and paper maker, which address family relationships along with other concerns existing in the culture of today, is the ongoing goal of my art.

I employ torn pieces of sewing pattern tissue, xerox transfers of my own drawings and digitally altered photographs along with rust stains as drawing tools.

The metal items I use to make the rust marks are a variety of commonly found household items. Pins and needles are incorporated into the paper others rest on the surface and are allowed to rust and stain the surrounding areas. With the rusting comes a slow destruction, compromising the inherent strength of these items.

Xeroxing my own graphite or charcoal lines, then transferring these to the paper, often one line at a time, gives a totally different feel to work. I will still add some pencil lines or stitching at the completion of an image, but the overall effect is that the artist hand is one step removed.

My installations include large drawings accompanied by undersize flimsy furniture made from pine and rusting metal to create environments for small rooms, closet spaces and alcoves. Some of the smaller environments fit into snow domes, small wooden boxes or cabinets, single drawings framed in shadow boxes.