“Roly-Poly,” oil paint on panel, by Samuel Cooney
Come meet artist Sam Cooney and learn more about his exhibit Life as Given on Sunday, November 1st between 10:30-11:15AM or 12:30-1:00PM at Sojourn Midtown.
"This series of paintings began several years ago as I was developing my sense of place in the West End of Louisville. Portland felt like home to me. While I was surrounded by a community who loved the neighborhood, it seemed like at the same time every street was flowing with people addicted to escapism in various forms. I even found myself looking for inspiration outside my reality. It wasn’t until I accepted my current position in life, and owned up to my place, that this body of work began to form.
I resolved to appreciate who I was and where I was. I then saw exciting visual moments happening right in front of me. So I painted these moments and situations. I found they communicated back to me, as if in agreement, in a sense of gratitude, abiding, and contentment. Along this journey I’ve come to believe one of the most profound things we can do is be content with the life we’ve been given. When I could be content, I could see a rich beauty where I was, among the poor. This rich beauty mostly goes unseen, so I want to bring it to attention. Our current reality is where life is happening - whether rich or poor - and it is beautiful and worthy of honor. The painting process allows me time to sit with the imagery over a period of weeks. I mull it over and describe it with a variety of techniques and tools. The surface is built up over time creating a variety of textures and sheens, offering a physical record of my relationship with the surface. I spend time in the back-and-forth relationship, observing the paint in its own right and then observing what the paint is describing. Keeping this relationship interesting is essential to the painting's success. The large scale helps provide a presence that doesn’t feel reduced or minimized. I desire to honor the subject."
Samuel Cooney is an artist based in Louisville KY. He graduated from UofL with a BFA focusing on painting. Samuel has completed several murals and has participated in multiple group exhibitions. He enjoys figurative work and has painted many commissioned portraits. In college he used still life to communicate metaphoric narratives using found objects. More recently, he spent several years in the Portland neighborhood working alongside neighborhood groups and with a local community center there. Serving the community in such a personal way inspired a shift in his focus from still life to figurative work. He and his wife of two years have one daughter and are excited to grow their family.