Theresa Reilly-Cooper
Degree: BA Hons Illustration with Animation
University: MMU
Graduation Year: 2010
New Blood Art Commentary
See into the world of
Theresa Reilly-Cooper's pencil drawings explore the possibility of representation and figuration while obliterating parts of the image – sometimes the head, sometimes the entire figure – with precise assurance. The drawings achieve an extreme and expressive economy, but they are most wonderful for their lack of staginess and their frankness.
Artist Statement
I graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2010, where I studied Illustration with Animation.
Throughout my final year, I honed my drawing practice and presented a collection of clothing studies. I had completed a dissertation on the way in which Clothing and Fashion interact with the human body and how they affect people’s perceptions and emotions. This idea morphed into my practical work when I began to draw clothes while deliberately omitting the body from the drawing. I was interested in how the body affected the way fabric moved. By removing the body the clothes seemed animated by themselves. It gave them a real sense of movement. I also became very interested in the negative space created by this style of drawing.
I continued to work in this way for many years, exhibiting in Manchester, London and as part of the Miami Art Expo. My work appeared in a number of magazines and I continued to work on private commissions as well as selling through New Blood.
More recently, I began to experiment with colour. Something I had previously not done, favouring crisp black and white, high contrast work. As a response to my life in the food industry outside of being an artist, my work very naturally evolved into food based observations. Although at first glance very different to my fashion work, the same principles apply. Realistic drawings with crisp lines, negative space and a variety of textures.
However, where my fashion drawings rely heavily on those sharp edges and contrast, my colour work is defined more by its hyper colour. I exaggerate all the colours, so the end result is a vivid interpretation of an every day food. It’s amazing how many colours and textures are actually involved in each drawing.
Whilst I still enjoy fashion and black and white work, for the time being I am enjoying the transition my work has taken into the colourful world of food. I look forward to seeing where it evolves next.