STUDIO SPOTLIGHT: ARTIST NANCY COOPER PAINTS THE WILD SIDE

Cooper said she’s most comfortable painting the eyes, which she said is the window to the soul. CONTRIBUTED

When I think about wildlife art, I think about artist Nancy Cooper and her interesting bird portraits.  

I had the pleasure of getting to know Cooper when I was teaching a paint class at Dolphin Plus Marine Mammal Rescue (DPMMR). The class took place with the dolphins swimming by to check out the artist’s progress on the dolphin portraits. I knew she had a special love for wildlife; who could head a rescue facility without that love? 

I really didn’t know how far that admiration went until I got to know her art better.  Cooper is modest about her art; she has more important things to do like rescue dolphins, but her wildlife art really knocks it out of the park.

From high school in Kansas City through College at Emory University in Atlanta, she always wanted to work with dolphins as a career. In college, she volunteered for The Dolphin Project, a longitudinal population study of wild dolphins in the area conducted by Randy Wells and the Mote Marine Laboratory. This experience further fueled her passion for dolphins and solidified her desire to work with these amazing creatures.  

As most people discover, there were no jobs magically awaiting her following graduation — none which involved dolphins. She moved back to Kansas and became a veterinary technician in Louisville, working with small animals at a 24-hour emergency vet hospital. After a few years, she transitioned to working for a veterinary specialist hospital and eventually an equine vet. She gained a wealth of knowledge in the field of veterinary medicine, hands-on skills in a veterinary lab with a variety of animal species as well as some serious people skills. Throughout her four years as a vet tech, she continued to apply to dolphin facilities in hopes she would secure an interview. 

“Dolphins Plus in Key Largo, asked me to travel down for a working interview. I came down for a three-day interview and never left,” Cooper said. “I began as a dolphin trainer (or animal behaviorist), then became an animal care supervisor, then the director of training, then president of DPMMR.”  

I asked Cooper what things we could do to preserve our precious Florida Keys. She said visit local and accredited zoos and aquariums, as they are the ones responding to sick and injured animals and promoting conservation and protection of animal species worldwide. 

“These organizations need your support,” she said. “Make sure to pick up garbage or marine debris whenever possible, as this usually ends up being ingested by wild animals or causing entanglement. Try to use reusable bags when heading to the stores. If you use a plastic bag — save it, reuse it and then recycle. If you are on the water fishing, please do not throw excess monofilament overboard, as this ends up entangling marine life and birds. Instead, find a local Monofilament Recovery and Recycling Program and dispose of your monofilament line in one of their bins. 

“Abide by all local marine regulations and signs,” she continued. “This means slowing down in manatee zones, paying attention to channel markers. Lastly, do not feed or water any local wildlife ± it teaches wild animals to rely on humans for food and to frequent busy marinas where they may get hit by a boat or otherwise injured. “

Cooper’s artistic endeavors began in 2015 with a paint class taught by Susan Jankowski. Cooper still paints with Jankowski, whose art classes are held at Limelight Studio on Morada Way in Islamorada. Cooper never thought painting would become a regular part of her life. She sees painting as her therapy. Would she call herself a wildlife painter? 

 “I would say I’m most comfortable painting anything with eyes. Eyes are definitely the window to the soul and I feel the eyes of an animal can make the whole canvas come to life,” she said.  

Working with DPMMR and her 25-year history working with dolphins deepened her connection with animals and allowed her to see the heart of the animal in their eyes. Ironically, Cooper is never satisfied with her rendition of dolphins because she knows them so intimately and can never quite capture them the way she would like to.

Her artistic inspiration comes from Julie Brun’s artwork, George Hubbs, and her grandmother Alice Parker. Locally, Nancy is inspired by Sue and Jul Jankowski’s artwork. She’s mostly an acrylic painter who inspires to do more oils. She does commissions of what she calls fur-babies.  

Cooper truly sees and identifies pets as family members. “I want to capture the individual traits which shape the animal’s soul and personality.” 

The advice she would give young adults is to work hard, be persistent, listen to your mentors and don’t be afraid to try new things. 

William DePaula is an artist, designer and gemologist who believes in the power of art. From his early childhood onward, he has never stopped drawing, painting and creating. He envisions a world in which beauty is as important as function, where culture and history are respected, and where nature is at once powerful and vulnerable. Infusing an essence of life in all his paintings, DePaula understands beauty is accessible to all. DePaula's art has been featured in select art museums around the world.