Original 16" W x 20" H watercolor bouquet by Hilary Cooper.

$1,200 Value

Hilary Cooper lives and paints in New York, the Connecticut Berkshires and Aspen. The child of diplomats, she grew up all over the world. Art was the constant; it grounded her, then and now.

After Mt. Holyoke College, she moved to New York and studied at The Art Students' League, The National Academy and The Sculpture Center. Portraits - in oil, watercolor and bronze - have always been a major focus and gift.

In the early 2000's, while spending time in Paris, she was taken with the idea of doing "portraits" of flowers. She did them in a stylized head, neck and shoulders motif. Floral bouquets "sat" for her on old plates and in pots she found in Paris antique fairs and flea markets.

Back in New York, she resumed doing formal oil portraits (and sculptures) of high profile individuals. These days, a few are done in watercolor, like the flowers. It is an extremely difficult medium since the whole work must be done in an hour or so and there can be no editing. But, done right, there is an immediacy to them that she likes, especially in portraits of children.

The "flower portraits" shown here along with her abstract paintings are a theme whose variations of color and pattern continue to hold her interest powerfully.