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Jessica Cooper …. but plastic is beautiful

8 April - 20 May 2017

…what if it were possible for a work to be conceived beyond the self, a work that allowed us to escape the limited perspective of the individual ego, not only in order to enter other similar selves but to give voice to that which cannot speak – the bird perched on the gutter, the tree in spring and the tree in autumn, stone, cement, plastic…
(Italo Calvino, Six Memos for the Next Millennium,1988)

…. but plastic is beautiful

this show explores the things that at first glance we may miss

the plastic waste and discarded material and the smaller weed and plant, both hidden and growing in the undiscovered corners

no less important than the obvious beauty and aesthetics of the architecture and flowers of kestle, these simple things continue to inspire me

they have formed the basis of the show through a series of large abstracted paintings of plastic and smaller intimate plant pieces

supported by the notes and drawings in my sketchbooks and accompanied by a short film of documented moments and finds within the garden

all the works are linked by my personal investigation of the story of the ‘red thread of fate’

– Jessica Cooper 2016

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Jessica Cooper

Jessica Cooper is a native to Cornwall, based in West Penwith. Her painting practice is heavily informed by her daily drawings in her sketchbooks, which record the objects and elements that surround her in life and bring meaning to her paintings. This new collection is in keeping with the elegant, minimal style that Cooper is known for. Humour and painterly sophistication are saturated into seemingly sparse compositions that rely on precise placement of line and colour for their strong impact.

Artist portrait and photographs of Jessica Cooper’s artwork by Steve Tanner.

Paintings in exhibition

Limited edition polymer etchings

Jessica Cooper is the first artist to produce prints for a special Kestle Barton limited edition print series, in collaboration with Simon Marsh, being launched this year.

These two distinct polymer etchings by Jessica Cooper are in signed editions of 20 each.

Each one is printed with black (and grey) on white. Some have further red marks painted on after printing.

More paintings from the '.... but plastic is beautiful' collection

Open Tuesday - Sunday 10:30am - 5pm. Closed Mondays but open for Bank Holidays