Hilary Burnett Cooper

Cafe Culture, Paris

Jackson’s Painting Prize 2020
Acrylic
72 x 72 cm

“I paint from sketches made’ en plein air’ to capture specific shapes and colours and from photographs for reference. I always paint the background a vivid colour (fluorescent orange, pink or blue) so that parts of that colour show through universally to bring the painting ‘together’. I work in acrylics using a brush and palette knife for texture.
I love light and the shapes it makes and would say this is my key to all compositions. I love capturing people in everyday situations and their movements. There have to be shadows to emphasise the mood. I work in acrylics because they dry fast and work well with a palette knife and I like the way that they can be used solidly and not mixed or blended so that the actual colours used remain. I like to rework areas and layer the paint for the texture. I love café scenes or café interiors, especially in France as they exude charm and inspiration.”