Artists Working from Home: Eileen Cooper
Last spring we were honoured to work with Eileen Cooper OBE RA in her exhibition ‘Short Stories’, a first for the gallery and the start of a wonderful friendship. The show was a colour bath, filled with layers of narratives and versatility in exploring the medium of paper and a range of printmaking techniques, all with Eileen’s distinctive and inimitable touch. We are working on a budding project together so have been lucky to be in contact during this period of self-isolation. We wanted to step into her world for a minute so we thought we would catch up with her and see what life is like to work from home now…
‘I’m lucky that I’ve always had a home studio, so everything is set up as normal. It is a flexible space; at the moment I’ve put painting to one side and I’m concentrating on some graphic works, with a ‘Top Secret’ brief…all will be divulged at Sims Reed next year. My normal way of working is intensive and I’m always juggling a few projects, but now, in lockdown, I’d describe my way of working as ‘gentle’. Each morning I’m prioritising pilates and several circuits around my garden. A new need, to keep in regular contact with family, friends and acquaintances from around the world is taking a fair bit of time. On returning to the studio, I realise how special it is to be able to lose oneself for hours at a time in another reality’.
