b.1985, Shropshire, England, UK · BA (Hons) Fine Art · Lives and works in Warwickshire, England, UK
Based in Warwickshire, UK, acclaimed artist Daniel Cooper responds with highly emotional expressions to the sublime weather in the Lake District National Park and Cumbrian landscape, home to arguably some of the most beautiful views in England. Using charcoal and mixed media, Cooper observes reality imaginatively, and aims to communicate the ever-changing moods of the land and skies through personal involvement with the landscape. Today, Daniel Cooper has gained a significant national and international reputation for being one of the prominent landscape artists living and working in Cumbria. With work represented in galleries across The Lake District — a recently acquired UNESCO World Heritage Site and much-loved destination for visitors from all over the world — his art has travelled to private and commercial collections across the globe, and has been recognised and collected by celebrities across the UK and USA.
The place Cooper often describes as his “true home” and, when it comes to his work, his “stage” — from which the natural architecture within a vista, like the fells, trees and stones, are not just a beautiful sight to see.
“I see the land as a space to contain a composition, a composition that ultimately describes an emotional response to what I’m looking at. It is the intangible elements of nature — weather, light and cloud — that fuel my imagination when communicating visually.”
Charcoal has become a firm favourite material for Cooper, often using charcoal burnt on the Brantwood estate, or compressed charcoal, and working with different intensities of blackness. He describes his fondness for the material as “like there’s a literal element of earth fed into the drawing and painting — this, for me, is another way I find myself connecting to a place.”
Mixed media — an almost standard description of materials used by artists — is described by Cooper as “a combination of wet and dry media which I mix and handle myself, and since they form a part of my experimentations, I keep all material used, and application techniques, a secret.”
Cooper produces many on-site sketches and drawings of his subject. Getting involved with place and the surrounding landscape, come rain or shine, is of great importance to the artist. The constant change in direction of light and cloud is also documented via photography, capturing moments of inspiration that eventually feed into the visual interpretation of his work.
“I see the land as a space to contain a composition, a composition that ultimately describes an emotional response to what I’m looking at. It is the intangible elements of nature — weather, light and cloud — that fuel my imagination when communicating visually.”
Each picture is given its own unique title, apart from those which may belong in a series, such as his “Solitudes” — each one unique, yet usually followed by a number to identify the set. For the bulk of his work, Cooper adopts a more creative approach with words: “The work should speak for itself, and whatever feeling someone gets from it is unique to them. I think the titles are more for myself — my written input into how I describe the finished piece. They sometimes reflect and represent ideas and imagery I’ve had on my mind throughout the process of making a piece.”
Cooper works mostly on paper and canvas. The dimensions of framed original art vary, but he often works to certain sizes of the square, rectangle or panoramic format, explaining: “To reflect the visual narrative of a collection of works hanging together, I like to have works — especially in solo exhibitions — appear to ‘flow’ smoothly on the eye, and with similar presentations across the series of artworks, the collection communicates ‘as one’ in a given space.”
As well as a simple, clean black frame to keep focus on the art, Cooper mostly uses a hand-finished and exclusive moulding, made from lime wood. The frame is hand painted, normally with a dark, warm brown and satin finish. Mounting and backing board used are all acid-free and of conservation quality.
