From Street Murals to Fine Art
Contemporary painter Andrew Cooper, known professionally by his last name, paints vibrant and inviting scenes that evoke blissful spaces and idyllic moments, often stemming from his own happy childhood memories. Here he describes his journey from eking out a living as a young muralist to having his works consistently sell out in prestigious art galleries in both New York City and London.
Did you always want to be an artist?
I liked art growing up in Indiana—my mom has a few of my sketchbooks from when I was between five and seven years old. But because I was active in sports, I didn’t pursue it for a while. I even took business classes my first year at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. I then enrolled in a sculpture class, and an instructor noticed my drawings the very first week of the semester. She immediately helped me change my schedule and enter the art program, where I began majoring in graphic arts.
Following graduation, I moved to Miami and worked at a record label drawing album covers and creating posters. In my spare time, I searched Craigslist for local companies and buildings that had blank walls I could cover with murals. While I didn’t get paid for that work and had to buy my own supplies, it allowed me to develop my style. I also took photos of my murals, sharing them on Instagram to help develop my brand as an artist.
How did painting murals evolve into a career?
After about a year, I relocated to Los Angeles in 2018 with my three best friends. There, I continued working on murals and putting the results on Instagram. That helped me get noticed by PUMA later that year, who said they loved what I was doing and asked me to paint a basketball court for famous rapper Nipsey Hussle’s former high school in LA.
Following that, I was the branding artist partnered with Mountain Dew for the 2019 Dew Tour in Long Branch, California, which was televised nationally and featured some of the biggest skateboarders in the world. My art was on all the merchandise and the bowl they skated in—it was a really cool experience. The luxury brand Coach also asked me to collaborate with them around this time. So much happened because of the murals.
Why did you switch from murals to paintings?
A few years into creating murals, I realized that while the medium was fun, I was ready to focus on painting canvases. I knew long term that I wanted to be in galleries all around the world and figured this next step in my career might take a while to develop. I decided to return to Indiana since I would have fewer distractions and more time to develop my new artistic style on canvas. So in 2020, I moved back to Evansville, where I could have a city lifestyle but still live somewhere quiet and away from city noise to help me focus. I then began collaborating with a local gallery and building my Instagram page as my portfolio to showcase new paintings.
Before long, Manhattan’s Guy Hepner gallery offered me a show, which we launched in 2021 (online only due to the COVID-19 pandemic). I exhibited six large canvases that sold the very first day. London’s Maddox Gallery then saw my work and immediately bought me a plane ticket to come meet them overseas. My first show with them was in 2022, and we’ve been working together ever since. I now paint in my Evansville studio, a 1913 fire station that I purchased last summer. My wife, Tabitha Taylor Cooper, also has her own painting space in it. We live upstairs and work downstairs.
How do you approach your paintings?
My works are like collages; I might include an image from my memory or one from a magazine. For example, my very first idea for a painting was a stereo my grandparents had when I was a kid. During the holidays, my grandpa would put records on it, which he kept in the basement. I loved playing with my cousins while listening to Christmas music. I took that memory, modernized the stereo, and added everyday still lifes, as I call them, around it.
Ultimately, I paint what means the most to me. I enjoy taking common objects and making them look beautiful. We go through life so quickly—sometimes we don’t acknowledge the small things that bring the most joy. One painting also often leads to the next. Whenever I begin something new, I might look at the most recent work I completed, borrowing some details and then changing the rest up a bit, such as by updating the primary object and perhaps adding a new color, design, or background.
How has your process changed over the years?
When I was creating murals, I did so with exterior house paint like Sherwin-Williams. I now use Golden brand acrylics and linen canvases, which range from small ones of 20 by 24 inches to much bigger ones of several feet. It’s fun working on the larger paintings because I can become immersed in them, letting them take over my senses. It’s a beautiful feeling.
What advice do you have for other aspiring artists?
If you’re passionate about it, go for it—the universe will eventually reward you for your efforts. In fact, your next opportunity could be around the corner. I kept pushing forward, listening to my heart and creating what I wanted. Today, my wife and I are both full-time artists and my work has even been shown in the Torrance Art Museum in Southern California. We share a home and our dogs and are doing well; we are so lucky to be where we are now.
For more info, visit cooperart.me or follow Cooper on Instagram @iam.cooper