In observance of Black History Month, The Arts Portal is hosting Artist Talk; An Evening with Laurie Cooper on February 18, 4:30pm. Ms. Cooper will be in the gallery to talk about the inspiration for her work, which is currently on display through April 5. The exhibit features 42 stunning pieces on display. “We are so pleased to be able to present this body of work to the community,” said Angela Speller, Managing Director of The Arts Portal and one of the exhibit’s curators. “This is the first time in over 20 years that Ms. Cooper’s art has been on public display.” Laurie Cooper chose the subject of her recent works on paper from political and religious inspirations that she experienced in the U.S. 

Ms. Cooper has argued that her images are expressing the look of masks coming from ethnic communities of African peoples and yet are not from extensive studies of any particular ethnic group. 

She makes broad exploration of general feelings about life as she creates artwork. She aims at incorporating some African traditional cultures in the contemporary Black American communities. This is what she means by “From the Past Facing Forward” in this exhibit. Ms. Cooper often works from photographs – taking liberty to change images while deliberately exaggerating and doing what she wants with the image while creating on paper. She pushes figures to say what she has wanted to create all the while revealing different moods in each piece. Many images of her art express her feelings. Some images reflect somber mood while others show happiness. Her medium is primarily a combination of pastel and charcoal. Pastels are unique and real to her in every picture where she plays with colors and moods. Laurie Cooper is proud of the drawing medium and like other fine artists she makes pieces that speak to her in the visual language. The Arts Portal is located at the Wyncote Commons, 827 Glenside Avenue, Suite 102, Wyncote, PA 19095. Gallery hours are Wednesdays – Fridays from 1:00 – 4:30pm and Saturdays and Sundays by appointment. Laurie Cooper is an artist born and based in Philadelphia, PA. She received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Arts and received her Master's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Cooper strives to highlight the inner and outer beauty of everything that she paints. She works diligently to showcase the special qualities of the black race. Her paintings are known for their inherent strength of character, strong unique facial features and richness of skin color.