A portrait of my sister Elisabeth. She works in the vegetable garden and healing plant garden at Camphill Village, Copake, NY. Her community also raises cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, etc…. She is a soulful one and very much in touch with nature. Hands in the Earth. But she hates to be called a Farmer. “I am not a Farmer! I am a Lover and a Healer!” “I am Not a Farmer” (2024). Louis Cooper. Oil on canvas....
A portrait of Susan wearing an oriental robe. She has been teaching herself Mandarin Chinese, which led to the title for this portrait. In addition to continuing to use Generative AI to assist with painting composition, I have been trying to combine realism with a more impressionistic rendering of clothing and backgrounds. Homage to John Singer Sargent. “Wo Yao Hanbaobao” (2024). Louis Cooper. Oil on canvas. 20″x16″
Continuing to experiment with Generative AI and Face Swapping as a means of generating inspiration for paintings. Note the lace head-covering Susan is wearing. Something inspired by a Rubens? “Spacesuit” (2024). Louis Cooper. Oil on canvas. 24″x24″
A wedding gift for my nephew Owen and his fiancée Dora. Generative AI used to compose the scene with the prompt: “an oil painting portrait of a happy couple in the style of John Singer Sargent, 19th century dress, background reminiscent of a gilded age mansion, detailed facial expressions, symmetrical eyes no moustache –v 6.0” Then swapped in the facial features of each of them to create my model. “Dora and Owen” (2024)....
Continuing to experiment with Generative AI to compose painting ideas using Midjourney. This time used a number of images instead of words as prompts. Photographs of the lilies in Lily Pond which abuts our home in the Berkshires, combined with photographs of Susan. “Lily Pond” (2024). Louis Cooper. Oil on canvas. 24″x36″
Continuing to experiment with Generative AI to compose painting ideas using Midjourney. In this case my prompt was: “A 19th century clean-shaven Norwegian man with short hair dressed in a sailor’s smock, oil painting, self-portrait, in the style of Caravaggio, intense chiaroscuro, mysterious lighting, detailed face, symmetrical eyes –no beard, –chaos 25 –ar 4:5” “Self Portrait as a Seaman” (2024). Louis Cooper....
Continuing to experiment with generative AI (Midjourney) to help with inspiration and create compositions that I then paint in oils. Generative AI can generate surprising connections between themes and images that I suggest as inputs. I am still learning how to create the most useful prompts that affect the quality and direction of the lighting, the degree of detail, suggesting the most appropriate style (e.g. “an oil painting, in the style of...
I am experimenting with the use of generative AI to compose images that I will then paint in oils. It allows me to play with a number of ideas and create surprising compositions. I use a variety of sources and draw ideas from popular culture, other artists and my own images. I then use AI to assist with transforming a likeness to that of my model (typically Susan of course!). Midjourney prompt: “A 16th century Dutch woman painting by Vermeer, blond...
One of Suzy’s favorite artworks is Botero’s “Crying Nun” a work in pastel. I made a master copy in oil on wood panel, substituting Suzy’s likeness. Here is the result: “Suzy Crying Nun (after Botero’s Crying Nun)” (2023). Louis Cooper. Oil on wood panel. 20″x20″ And here is the original by Botero:
I took some time away from painting during Covid. Needed some time to digest what I was experiencing in the emergency room. Played around with computer language, microprocessors, encaustics, sticker art. Spent time cooking, hiking, sculling, splitting firewood and enjoying the outdoors. The World seems to have settled back to its chaotic old self and I felt it was time to say goodbye to Covid and return to painting. I painted a portrait of Suzy, seated...
Art for Art's Sake
Self Taught, I am nobody .... nobody's perfect
“Karin with Kali” (2014). Louis Cooper. Oil on Mounted Linen. 24″x 24″ Inspired by the portrait of his wife “Girl with a Kitten” (1947). Lucien Freud.
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“Macavity” (2014). Louis Cooper. Oil on Panel. 6″x6″ Copy of the album cover for The Seer. The Swans. Vinyl Triple LP, CD. Young God. Mute.
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“The Coat of Many Colors” (2014). Louis Cooper. Oil on Mounted Linen. 20″x 30″ Private Collection of Owen Cooper.
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“Here’s Looking at You Otto Dix” (2014). Louis Cooper. Oil on mounted linen. 30″ x 16″ Inspired by his self portrait “Self Portrait with Easel” (1926). Otto Dix.
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“Suzy with Koko” (2014). Louis Cooper. Oil on Linen. 18″ x 14″ inspired by the Cecilia Beaux painting “Sita and Sarita” (1921). Cecilia Beaux. Oil on Canvas. 44 5/8″ × 33″
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“Elisabeth with Caliban” (2014). Louis Cooper. Oil on Linen. 18″ x 14″ Private Collection of Elisabeth Cooper.
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“Goldfinch” (2014). Louis Cooper (mastercopy of original by Fabritius). Oil on Linen. 18″ x 14″
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“Apple” (2014). Louis Cooper. Oil on Linen. 20″ x 16″ a painting of the original photograph by Robyn Stacey Robyn Stacey Presentation (Apple) 2011 90 x 74cm type C print edition of 5 + 2/3 AP
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“Pear” (2014). Louis Cooper. Oil on Linen. 20″ x 16″ a painting of the original photograph by Robyn Stacey Robyn Stacey Presentation (Pear) 2011 90 x 74cm type C print edition of 5 + 2/3 AP
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“Him” (2013). Louis Cooper. Oil on Linen. 40″ x 30″ a mastercopy of the painting “BACKS (MAN AND WOMAN)” (1964). Antonio López García. Oil on Wood
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“Her” (2013). Louis Cooper. Oil on Linen. 40″ x 30″ a mastercopy of the painting “BACKS (MAN AND WOMAN)” (1964). Antonio López García. Oil on Wood
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“Madonna (hommage to Munch)” (2013). Louis Cooper. Oil on gessoboard. 14″ x 11″ inspired by Munch’s painting “Madonna” (1894). Edvard Munch. Oil
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“Pears on Pewter” (2013). Louis Cooper. Oil on linen. 16″ x 20″ painting of the photograph Still Life of Pears on Antique Pewter Plate. Eliot Elisofon. which originally appeared in LIFE Magazine
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“A Rough Day at the Office (Homage to Holbein)” (2013). Louis Cooper. Oil on Mounted Linen. 17″ x 11″ Inspired by the Holbein painting, presumed to be of his wife “Portrait of a woman from southern Germany” (1497-1543). Hans Holbein the Younger. Oil
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“Evolution” (2013). Louis Cooper. Oil on reclaimed canvas. 20″ x 16″ Private Collection of Michael Cooper.
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“Owen” (2013). Louis Cooper. Oil on Panel. 14″ x 11″ inspired by the van der Weyden portrait “Portrait of Antony of Burgundy” Rogier van der Weyden (1400-1464). Oil. Private Collection of Owen Cooper
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“Homage to Van Eyck” (2013). Louis Cooper. Oil on Linen. 14″ x 11″ inspired by the Van Eyck self-portrait, but with Michael Cooper’s face “Portrait of a Man in a Red Turban” (1433). Jan van Eyck. Oil on panel. 10″ x 7″. Private Collection of Owen Cooper
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