Dave Cooper
"Bent"
Exhibition: February 9 - March 8, 2008
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 9th, 7-10 pm

Dave Cooper was born in Eastern Canada in 1967, 18 years later he began his professional career, making what were then called "alternative comics". Gradually Dave made a name for himself and honed his craft. After about a decade his comics had gained a solid cult following, and praise from such luminaries as Robert Crumb, Art Spieglman and David Cronenberg.

Painting since he was a teenager repeatedly ogling Klimt's "Hope" in his hometown's gallery, Dave has always wanted to be a painter. The most tenacious recurring theme in Dave's paintings is the flesh of his figures - almost exclusively thick, substantial women, or what he calls "pillowy girls". Also, there are two character types that pop up quite a bit in the paintings. One is the blushing, ecstatic gigglers and the others who are like braindead zombies. Dave uses multiple fine glazes to achieve a sublime luminescence that can give his figures an unsettling presence.

The center of Dave's show at Billy Shire Fine Arts is, "Underbrush Octych" an 8-canvas panorama that measures 18 feet wide and 26 inches tall. Not only is it a panorama, it's also a constant loop, so that the painting on either end can be put on the opposite end and it will still work.
Artist Statement:
" I used to be a comic book artist. But then I realized my dream of becoming an oil painter specializing in crazy-looking, fat ladies who roll around on the ground and bite or squeeze one another (boy what a refreshing change from making comic books about crazy-looking, fat ladies who roll around on the ground and bite or squeeze one another)."

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