Rod Cooper: Artistic statement.
I am a sculptor who loves to paint; my paintbrush follows my chisel.
The act of creating art for me is very physical, which is something instilled in me from my formal education as a sculptor. My choice of material to paint on is wood, a solid medium with natural tactile qualities.
The textures I carve reflect natural structures. My tools gouge into the tightly packed fibres of the timber substrate. With each mark I build a new terrain of light and shade. Every work is a journey that I take while searching inside the possibilities of texture.
Sometimes I will work from memory, and at other times I’ll work directly from the landscape itself. I play around with the perception of space and the difficulties of perceiving the scale of a depicted landscape, when there is no horizon line. By omitting the horizon line from the picture plane the viewer is free to imagine the scale relationship between the human body and the landscape.
Warm tones are often my preferred hues. Red uniformly renders forms and surfaces. Yellow bounces objects around in space and Orange slows the movement of eyes across a surface, giving a grounded appearance to an object. When painting with darker tones my work is based on observations made during the twilight hours, which can be very extensive in Australia due to our latitude on the planet.
My paintings can be viewed from more than one position and usually in portraiture orientation. I encourage the eye and body to roam over the object’s surface from various angles. I enjoy the way that the structure of the carving creates various tints from one colour.
For me, colour and form are inseparable.
Rod Cooper Contact Details
Email: klunk@techinfo.com.au
Academic qualifications
Degree Fine Art Sculpture Victoria College Prahran 1988
Diploma Education Hawthorn Institute 1990
Exhibitions, Performances & media coverage
Melbourne, Vic
Conical Gallery, Melbourne, installation of noise sculpture, collaboration with Ben Harper, March 2003
Bus Gallery, Melbourne, Solo exhibition of noise paintings, November 2004
Stratum, Solo exhibition of paintings, Project Space, Carlton, Australia, February 2008
Group show, DNA , Gallery, Richmond, March 2008
Ireland
Art Trail Sound Works, Noise Painting Installation, Cork, Ireland, July 2005
United States of America
Sub Tonic, New York, New York, USA , Sound Sculpture performance, April 2005
England
UK Tour, solo and group performances in various London venues and Garden Fields School, St Albans, UK, March- April 2004
New Zealand
NZ Tour, Auckland, Dunedin, Omaru and Wellington, February 2007.
Music, workshops and installations
Sydney, NSW
Unsound Festival, Installation of Noise Sculptures, Junee Round House, November 2006
Now Festival, Sydney, Rod Cooper Ensemble of Sound Sculpture, Sydney, January 2006
Now Festival, Solo and group performances, Sound Sculpture building seminar and lecture, Sydney, January 2004
Now Now Festival, Sydney, Group performances, Sydney, January 2005
National Glass Gallery, Sound Sculpture Performance, Wagga Wagga, November 2005
Make it Now, NSW Tour, Co- Organiser of group performances, which included Australian instrument builders, Canberra, ACT , Wollongong, NSW , September 2003
Brisbane, QLD
Radio interview and live to air performance, ‘Radio Alice, 2SER, Sydney, January 2004
Liquid Architecture Festival, Brisbane Power House, Duo with Tim Catlin, July 2004
Debut CD Launch, radio interview with record label Room 40, Judith Wright Arts Centre, Brisbane, February 2005
Incidental Amplifications, Liquid Architecture, Festival of Sound Art, Brisbane, June 2005
Melbourne, VIC
Articulating Space Festival, Trio with Tim Catlin and Anthea Caddy January, 2006
Liquid Architecture festival, Group performance in the Old Melbourne Gaol, July 2006
ABC Television, “Set” program, broadcast of two solo performances. “Carbon Arc” and “Composition for submerged objects”
“Rouge”, Sound track contribution, metallic sound sculptures, Melbourne, 2006
Radio Interview 3RRR Fm, Delivery with Owen Mac Kern, January 2006
Radio interview 3RR FM, ‘Symbiosis’, and live to air performance, May 2005
Radio Interview, ABC Classic FM with Julian Day, August 2005
Articulating Space music series, Solo performance, August 2005
Radio interview and solo performance, live to air 3RRR FM ‘Delivery’, Melbourne, May 2003
Yarra Sculpture Gallery, Curator of an exhibition and performance of Australian Instrument builders and Artists, Melbourne, May 2003
Radio interview, 3RRR FM, ‘Symbiosis’, Melbourne, July 2003
RMIT University, Melbourne, lecture and workshop, May 2004
Past Exhibitions of Sculpture and Furniture
GALLERY CHEZ NOUS AT TOLARNO November 1990
Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, Victoria
ARTSMITH December 1990-
Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Victoria January 1991
THE EXHIBITIONS GALLERY February-March
Wangaratta Arts Centre 1991
Ovens Street, Wangaratta, Victoria
ARTISTS & INDUSTRY FURNITURE ‘92 October 1991
Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria
E.A JOYCE & SON February-March
Salamanca Place, Hobart, Tasmania 1993
METAL MICKEY September 1993
Smith Street, Collingwood, Victoria
THE AUSTRALIAN CRAFT SHOW November 1993
R.A.S. Showgrounds, Sydney, N.S.W.
TARRA FESTIVAL ART SHOW April 1994
Invitational Exhibitor, Yarram, Victoria
MTEKI GALLERY April 1994
Phillip Island Tourist Road, Newhaven, Victoria
ALICE CRAFT ACQUISITION May-June 1994
Crafts Council of the Northern Territory
Araluen Centre, Alice Springs, N.T.
GOLDEN CANVAS GALLERY June 1994
Rowntree Street, Balmain, N.S.W.
FRINGE FURNITURE IX October 1994
Fitzroy Town Hall
Napier Street, Fitzroy, Victoria
MEAT MARKET CRAFT CENTRE April 1995
Courtney Street, North Melbourne, Victoria
INTERIOR DESIGNEX ‘95 April-May 1995
Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre
Darling Harbour, N.S.W.
ALICE CRAFT ACQUISITION May-June 1995
Crafts Council of the Northern Territory
Araluen Centre, Alice Springs, N.T.
INTERNATIONAL GARDEN FAIR October 1995
Caulfield Racecourse, Caulfield, Victoria
METAL MICKEY May 1996
Smith Street, Collingwood, Victoria
METAL MICKEY October 1996
Smith Street, Collingwood, Victoria
INTERNATIONAL GARDEN FAIR April 1997
Exhibition Gardens, Carlton, Victoria
KANGAROO GROUND SCULPTURE STUDIOS
Kangaroo Ground, Victoria September 2001
