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| Coop |
| Coop, the artist whose name is synonymous with a smiling smoking devil, has been tolling out his wonderful works for over a decade now. He has been creating the persona of a modern day Lichtenstein. Working on a tongue in cheek branding exposition, he recognized his own brand exists too. Recently, he agreed to sit down and have an interview with Deviant Nation’s own Satan. |
| Writer: Satan |
Mar 04 07 |
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Where did you grow up and what kinds of things did you do as a child/teenager?
I grew up in Oklahoma. I jumped BMX bikes over drainage ditches, played with Hot Wheels, drew pictures of Corvette funny cars and read comic books. I still do the last three.
Is there a story behind the name coop?
Just a nickname, seemingly shared with everyone else whose last (or first) name is Cooper.
When you first started your work did you have any issues with schools/parents with the subject matter of your art?
None with my folks, but I did get called into the principal’s office once for drawing a naked lady. My Dad laughed at the principal. He’s a cool dad.
How has that changed?
Well, I’m not eleven years old anymore…
You’ve done an incredible amount of posters for concerts. Is that how you got your work noticed?
That, and the mountain of record sleeves I did for Sympathy For The Record Industry.
What made you stop doing the concert posters?
It stopped being fun after the posters started to become valuable as collectibles. Pretty soon, the free posters meant for the band were getting intercepted by promoters and managers and whatnot, and the bands thought I wasn’t sending them out in the first place! I was already self-publishing at that point so I switched to doing art prints and never looked back.
Do you still make it to a lot of shows?
If friends are playing in town, I try to make it, but it’s such a hassle to go to shows in LA.
What kind of music are you into?
Everything. I have over 80,000 songs in my iTunes library, and that doesn’t count all the vinyl that I’m too lazy to figure out how to transfer.
Your style is very unique, how did you settle on it?
I never made a deliberate attempt to create a style. I just tried to draw and paint as best I knew how. When you keep making the same mistakes over and over, everybody assumes that it’s your style.
Are there any visual artists that you admire or have inspired your work? Like Ed Roth, Von Dutch, Van Franco or Robert Williams?
All those guys, and a whole bunch more. Almost anything that I like ends up as an inspiration at some point.
Rumor has it that you are a member of the Church of Satan and that Anton LaVey himself ordained you and your wife as priests?
No rumor, just fact. We were very lucky to become friends with Dr. LaVey in the last few years of his life and treasure every moment we spent with him. He is a huge philosophical and aesthetic influence on my work and life.
Is Satanism an inspiration for some of your more controversial pieces like Bride of Christ and Naughty nuns? Maybe a way to thumb your nose at the other side?
The thing is, I was creating a lot of that work before I ever met Dr. LaVey. He made me a Priest because he said my work was doing so much to define a “Satanic Aesthetic” in popular culture. A very high compliment, indeed!
How has the controversial/erotic themes of your work affected your commercial clients like Altoids?
They haven’t stopped hiring me yet. There’s an understood divide between the work that I do for myself and the work I undertake for a client. It seems like some clients want a little of that naughtiness to rub off on them.
One of your latest blog entries details the process of creating a Firestone piece. In a recent LA Alternative article, some of your work is described as “turning the logo against the company” and your website, artofcoop.com, mentions “exploration of re-appropriation.” What do you mean by this?
We are inundated with advertising and logos constantly in every aspect of our lives. The thing I find interesting is that we don’t seem to mind this intrusion. We are willing collaborators in this, wearing clothes, hats and shoes covered with the logos of the corporations that dominate our lives. The logos themselves become a status symbol, like Mercedes or Louis Vuitton. I’m not innocent in this either, as my merchandise and artwork are themselves a “brand” now, part of the same idea-space as Coca Cola and Ford. That’s what the paintings are exploring.
Are the pieces you create with logos in them commissioned or are you able to use them as “artistic license”?
The paintings, as one-of-a-kind artworks, are protected by “Fair Use” laws. If I were to use any of the images for merchandise, it would be without the logos.
One thing many people admire about your work is your portrayal of larger women. Where does your inspiration come for that?
I prefer the more fleshy, curvy, voluptuous ideal of feminine beauty that was prevalent during the post-WW2 era. I love it that women today derive inspiration from my work to ignore the anorexic feminine ideal that is so dominant now in popular culture. It makes me very happy.
Many people have tattoos of your work. How does that make you feel?
It’s great! How could I not appreciate that kind of devotion to my art?
You sell tattoo flash on your website. Does it bother you if people get tattoos of your work without buying the flash?
No, but it does bother me when unscrupulous individuals make color copies or CDRs of my tattoo flash and sell it as their own! Make your own shit. Don’t bite on mine, please.
 Do you have any tattoos?
Just one of a beatnik, Alfred E. Neuman. I got it on my 22nd birthday from Jill Jordan. The image comes from an old MAD paperback that was my first exposure to MAD magazine when I was a kid.
Any more planned for the future?
Probably not. I’ve always wanted to get a big traditional Japanese back piece, but I think I’m too big of a pussy to sit still for that.
Are there any tattoo artist’s work that you admire?
I admire them all as I know just how difficult an art it is to master. Plus, they have way better interpersonal skills than I ever could hope to have! I can’t imagine having to put up with the paper or canvas squirming around and trying to tell me what to do.
Do you have any funny stories about your work?
More than once I have been cut off in LA traffic by a car with one of my stickers in the back window…
I’ve seen you collect sci-fi / vintage toys.
Yep, although I’ve kinda slowed down in the last couple of years.
What specifically do you collect?
Mainly Japanese vinyl and diecast toys from the sixties to very early eighties. I also collect records, old model kits, old hot rod and girly magazines, racing decals, Plomb hand tools, art books, old wristwatches, etc. I guess there’s very little I don’t collect.
How large is your collection?
Too large. I’ve filled my house and studio, and I’m still going strong.
I understand you’re into vintage racing. Can you tell us a little about that?
I’m pretty much into anything auto related. I’ve always had some kinda old car or another. I’m finally getting serious about racing. I’m leaving next month to race in La Carerra Panamericana, a six-day vintage road race in Mexico, from Veracruz in the south to just shy of the U.S. border in Monterrey. I’ll be on the road for almost three weeks, first to drive down to Veracruz with my co-driver and crew and then to head back north. It’s going to be a great adventure, and I can’t wait to go!
What hot rods do you own?
A 1929 Model A sedan, and a 1929 Model A Phaeton that I’m beginning to piece together now.
You sell some of your work online. Are these originals of work that eventually get used or are they one of a kind?
Both. The originals are unique, but each is created for a purpose, whether as a preliminary drawing for a painting, or line art for merch or commercial stuff. As the hog butcher says, I use everything but the squeal.
Are you the webmaster of coopstuff.com?
Nope. My wife and I own the business, my wife runs everything, and we have employees helping with maintaining the site and processing orders and stuff.
When someone purchases a piece from your site, are you the one that actually handles the order?
If I sign it, I sure do!
On average, how many pieces do you do per week/month do you complete?
A lot less as I get older. I turn some things around in an afternoon, but a big painting can take a couple of months.
How do you know when a piece is finished?
When the check arrives!
Any particular piece that you are most proud of?
I’m really digging the series of big canvases I’ve been working on for the last few years. My show in 2004 featured a 78 foot long continuous painting called “Parts With Appeal” that was the biggest, craziest thing I’ve ever done. I even commissioned a soundtrack for the show, composed by Buzz from the Melvins and Lustmord. That was cool thing to get to do.
Where do you see your work heading in the future? Sculpture, comics, animation?
Just fine art. I’d love to do some large-scales sculpture, and I’ve been planning on it, in fact. I just need a patron with deep pockets.
You recently had a gallery showing at sixspace called “Brand Recognition”. How did that go and do you plan on more gallery showings in the near future?
Yep, sometime in another year or so.
You’ve been a member of Deviant Nation for a little bit now. What do you think of the site and the deviant models?
There are a lot of very cute girls on here, all of whom make me feel like a dirty old man. But I’m used to that feeling by now! I’ve been doing this art thing for twenty years now, and it’s strange to know that most of the people on this site have grown up with this stuff, and it has informed the way they look at the world. A strange thing to think about, no doubt.
Did you notice that some of our models have your work?
No, but the women in question should contact me immediately as it is VERY important that I see these tattoos before we proceed further! Time is of the essence!
Deviant Nation would like to thank Coop for his time with this interview, and we wish him luck in his upcoming race.
To check out more of Coop’s fantastic work check out his website(s) at http://www.coopstuff.com/ and http://www.artofcoop.com/
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