Born at 238 feet below sea level in Mecca, California, Randy Cooper had only one direction in which he could go — up! And he certainly has done that. After earning a Master’s degree in education from the University of Idaho, Randy served as a special education teacher. He has also worked as a hod carrier and a lumberjack in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. He worked for Westinghouse for 7 years, first as an operator, and then as a developer and teacher of the Total Quality Management program.

As an artist, he credits his attention to detail to this experience. Randy’s mother is a master carver of birds and gunstocks. His sister is an accomplished painter, sculptor, and author. The sensitivity of Randy’s huge hands seems to be in his genes! Randy’s first art education consisted of two 6-week courses studying with sculptor Wren Prather-Stroud. He also studied at the Scottsdale Artists’ School with Tuck Langland for a week. Randy is basically self-taught and has developed all of his shadow sculpture techniques on his own.

Randy works as a full-time sculptor and lives in New Mexico with his wife, Susan, a writer and an artist who works primarily in pastels, oils, and acrylics. After working successfully in clays, artificial stone, and bronzes, Randy began crafting intriguing and magical sculptures in wire mesh. These are forms created in wire screen that cast lovely shadows on the wall. When lit with a light source, the shadows sometimes have more details than the sculpture itself. Randy’s ability to see the subtleties in the human form makes his work stand out.

These shadow sculptures have been sweeping the United States and the world for the past few years. Randy Cooper is a force among America’s contemporary artists. His Shadow Sculptures already highlight many private collections throughout the world.

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