Justin Cooper: Yard Work

This series of paintings started when I relocated from Fountain Square to the Garfield Park neighborhood to be part of Big Car’s Artist and Public Life Residency. It was the first time in my adult life where I was living on a property with a yard — a place where I could plant whatever I wanted. I remember my grandparents always having gardens and working in the yard with them. My folks were also avid gardeners.

I was excited to connect with them on some level through gardening, our shared interest in plants. In the first spring of moving into the new place, I bought assorted flower bulbs and some perennials. Then I started digging in the yard and planting. My mom had been working on flower beds in her own yard for years. She had a wide array of flowers that she separated and gave me to transplant.

Then the pandemic started. The plants I put in the ground started growing and flowering. I began to study and sketch them, translating the color and proportions of the plants into geometric forms and patterns. Between working outdoors with plants and wood burning designs of the plants into wooden panels on the porch, I found a connection to my new neighborhood. I found solace from all the dark uncertainties of the times. I learned to focus on the positives and to appreciate the beauty of the things that surround me.
With a few exceptions from my neighbors’ or parents’ gardens, most of the pieces I made for Yard Work were directly influenced by the plants in my yard.

About Cooper
I’m an Indianapolis native who has worked as an artist here for over 20 years. I spent most of that time as a studio artist. Central to my artistic evolution has been independently developing my artistic voice while forming relationships with artists I connected with while maintaining studios at the Murphy Art Center, Wheeler Arts Community, and as an artist in Big Car’s Artist and Public Life Residency program.
In the studio, I concentrate on creating multiple series that will eventually go together and be displayed as cohesive bodies of work. I’ve always enjoyed learning new mediums and techniques to incorporate into pieces in hopes of expanding my visual language. In recent years I have had an increased interest in larger scale mural projects and public art. Experimenting with the scale and design of an image while being thoughtful of how the piece will be viewed from different distances has been intriguing to me. The consideration of placement and the context of the image as it relates to its surrounding environment has been an interesting challenge.
My artwork is deeply Influenced by observations of nature and my love of art history and architecture. Presenting a reflection of the relationship between humans and nature has been fundamental in my creative process. I’m fascinated by geometric formations, patterns and underlying structural arrangements found in nature.
My work over the last few years has revolved around the interpretation of nature and organic forms through a lens of geometric abstraction. By employing the use of isometric geometry in the imagery, there are moments where an object can be viewed as concave or convex. I have used this to allude that there are multiple ways of seeing the subject.
My most recent work has concentrated on depicting geometric interpretations of plants and flowers that have been growing in my yard and neighborhood in Garfield Park. Exploring structural elements of the plants while also documenting my time, and location in Indianapolis. Referencing the flowers and wildlife living in my area has become important to my work, to promote the appreciation of the beauty and individuality of the living things that surround us.
I used this approach in recent public art projects including The High Art Billboard project and Vinyl Storefront project with the Indy Arts council, as well as working with Southeast Neighborhood Development and IndyGo on an art installation on one of the Red Line platforms in Garfield Park.