Shoshana Cooper

Artist Statement

In 2021, after a 34 year career at MTA New York City Transit, including 20 years as Director, Operations Analysis, Shoshana Cooper retired, allowing her to focus on creating art. Before her retirement, Shoshana studied painting at the Art Students League, where she is a life member. Her instructors included John Hultberg and Fred Mitchell.

As Cooper’s art progressed, her work became more abstract. For over ten years, she created reverse acrylic paintings on clear plastic. While this method intensified color, it provided limited opportunity to make changes as a piece progressed. Also, the reliance on plastic was not environmentally sound.

Shoshana’s recent paintings are mainly created through a technique of placing paper, sponges, stencils, paper towels, palette knives, and occasionally even brushes dipped in acrylic paint several times onto watercolor paper. Although each application is similar to a monotype, the end result has multiple layers which interact with each other to produce vibrant improvisational works.

Shoshana also creates abstract collages from parts of older paintings on paper, mylar and plastic as well as from smaller pieces of paper used to make the multiple impressions on the larger paintings.

Most recently, Shoshana has renewed her interest in the human figure. Many of the paintings in this show began with sketches of short poses, mostly five minutes, in watercolor pencil and watercolor crayon at Minerva’s Drawing Studio in Manhattan. The watercolor detail and background were added later to complete the work.

In addition to her art education, Shoshana completed her undergraduate studies at Brandeis University.

Shoshana has lived in Brooklyn with her husband David since 1987.