“Self Portrait” (2025). Louis Cooper. Oil on wood panel. 20″x16″ Working on achieving a likeness and realism, but with a more chromatic palette. “Self Portrait” (2025). Louis Cooper. Oil on wood panel. 20″x16″
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“Self Portrait” (2025). Louis Cooper. Oil on wood panel. 20″x16″ Another quick self-portrait, on wood panel. Sketch in graphite and background painted on Day One. Portrait painted on Day Two. Total painting time five or six hours. I’ve been watching Sky Art’s “Portrait Painter of the Year.” Inspired by how those artists...
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“Self Portrait” (2025). Louis Cooper. Oil on wood panel. 20″x16″ Self portrait on cradled wood panel (ran out of canvases). It’s different painting on panel. Less “tooth” and less absorbent. So the paint slides around a bit instead of sinking in. This makes it harder initially; but as the painting progresses, additional layers...
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Susan” (2025). Louis Cooper. Oil on canvas. 24″x24″ A quick two session sketch in oils. Still working from graphite to darks, to midtones, to highlights. More or less a direct painting style with some additional glazing. Need to work on increasing chiaroscuro and expanding my palette. My direct paintings risk appearing a bit two-dimensional (Susan would...
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“Sleepy” (2025). Louis Cooper. Oil on canvas. 24″x24″ Working on less traditional portrait poses and developing my backgrounds. I continue to work quickly (and impatiently) typically finishing a painting in a matter of hours and just a few sittings. At some point I need to learn to take the time to really “lick down” the important...
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“Thinking” (2025). Louis Cooper. Oil on canvas. 24″x24″ I haven’t created the right set up to properly photograph my paintings, especially the finished ones. They are consistently low quality, with reflections and speckles, which I try to clean up using a noise reduction filter but, invariably, I lose a lot of the detail — subtle...
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