Artist takes gallery visitors on a trip to the Mexican Riviera

Shane Cooper's oil paintings on display at the Sunrise Library are inspired by the Mexican Riviera, or more specifically by the people of the Mexican Riviera.

"The people there are amazing to me," Cooper said. "I wanted to dedicate a show specifically to that."

It's been a busy few months for Cooper. He had a solo show at the Henderson Multigenerational Center and took best of show awards in two group shows - a Las Vegas Artists Guild members exhibition at the Cheyenne campus of the College of Southern Nevada and the "Over the Rainbow" show at the Windmill Library in celebration of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Month.

Denise Alvarado, gallery services coordinator for the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, said this was the third time Cooper had work in the "Over the Rainbow" show.

"This year's piece was one people really liked," she said, "People were talking about it before it took best of show."

She added that part of the prize is the offer of a solo show at one of the district's galleries but that Cooper's show was in the works before his win, based on the work he had already shown.

While Cooper may not be new to the district's galleries, the work in his new show is.

"I do new work for every show, and I try new things each time," he said. "My work in the Henderson show was more photorealistic, although it still had a Mexican feel to it. My show at the Sunrise gallery has some photorealism, but some of it is also whimsical, fun and free-spirited."

Cooper has been visiting the Mexican Riviera, a popular tourist destination along the west coast of Mexico, for a dozen years. It has become his favorite vacation spot, and the works were based on experiences and photographs from the time he has spent immersing himself in the people, culture and food.

"It was very inspirational for me as an artist," Cooper said. "I love the bright colors and the interesting textures and patterns."

Cooper is a full-time painter who has converted much of the first floor of his Henderson home into an artist's studio.

"It's not always a consistent living," he said. "It's like any sort of sales when you live on commission. It might not be the most secure job, but it's what I love to do. I couldn't imagine doing anything else."

Cooper has begun work on a new show, which he said will look different from previous shows but will share the same roots.

"I'm not an abstract artist by any means, but I'm fascinated by pattern," he said. "The work I'm doing now is based on natural items, but I'm looking so closely at them. What they are isn't apparent at first. I cut open garlic, and I've filled the whole 4-foot canvas with it."

Some of the works in the Mexican Riviera show have detailed depictions of cut-open fruit or flowers that foreshadow the work he's doing now.

Cooper said that as a younger man he resisted working on commissions because he didn't want to be told what to do. Eventually he decided to shift his outlook on them and take them on as a challenge.

"I threw caution to the wind and did it," he said. "I wanted to see if I could pull it off and make the clients happy."

The gamble paid off, and now he has collectors from many parts of the country who find his work in shows and on his website, shanecooperart.com.

Cooper's Mexican Riviera show is scheduled to be displayed through Nov. 24 at the Sunrise Library, 5400 Harris Ave., during regular library hours, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. For more information, visit lvccld.org or call 702-507-3900.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532.