BIO

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                                                          MARDI COOPER

1948 GRADUATED FROM EDINBURGH SCHOOL OF  ART

1951-1953 ROME  SCHOLARSHIP IN PAINTING

EXHIBITED IN YOUNG CONTEMPORARIES; PALAZZO VENEZIA

LONDON GROUP; LEICESTER GALLERIES

57 GALLERY, EDINBURGH

SOUTH LONDON ART  GALLERY

OXFORD GALLERY

MARDI BEGAN PART-TIME  TEACHING IN  1960, AND  BECAME  HEAD OF  THE  ART  DEPARTMENT IN  ROSA BASSET GRAMMAR  SCHOOL  IN 1965.

FULLTIME  WORK DISRUPTED  HER  OUTPUT  UNTIL SHE  RETIRED  IN 1980 AND  MOVED  TO  YORK  WHERE  SHE  STARTED  SOME  SKETCHING  AND  PAINTING  AGAIN.

IN  HER  LATTER  YEARS SHE  JOINED  THE  YORK RAG  RUGGERS (CRAFTERS) WHERE  SHE ENJOYED MAKING HER OWN BEAUTIFUL CUSHION  COVERS  AND  RUGS , OFTEN OVER COFFEE,  WITH  HER DEAR  FRIENDS  IN  HER  LATTER  YEARS.

  THE  RENOWNED  AUTHOR  AND  ART  CRITIC OF THE  OBSERVER  , LAURA CUMMING , WROTE  FOR  HER  MEMORIAL SERVICE

“HER  PAINTING  IS   BASED  ON  TERRIFIC AND  CONCISE DRAUGHTSMANSHIP. MANY  OF WATERCOLOURS HAVE  THE  DELICACY OF  PEN AND  INK  DRAWINGS. AFTER STARTING OUT AS A POWERFULLY  STRONG PORTRAITIST SHE EVOLVED A  BEAUTIFUL WAY  OF  EVOKING THE  PLACES SHE WENT- ITALY, THE  NORTH OF   SCOTLAND, CYPRUS , GREECE- IN  TRACERIES OF COLOUR AND  WASH, WITH  INTERLOCKING SKEINS AND  WHORLS AGAINST DELICATE VEILS OF COBALT,CERULEAN AND  ULTRAMARINE SO THAT YOU SEEM TO BE  LOOKING AT BOTH A LANDSCAPE OR A  TOWNSCAPE,IN THE  CASE OF KYRENIA) AND A  RADIANT EVOCATION OF  LIGHT. WHEN I THINK  OF  HER  WORK, I THINK VERY MUCH OF  WHITE AND  BLUE AND  SHADES OF  SAGE GRAY AND  GREEN…..HER CENTRAL MOTIF IS  ALMOST ALWAYS AN OVAL OR CIRCLE- DELICATELY TRACED, ROUND AND ROUND- GRACEFUL, GENEROUS, ENCLOSING.

   ABOUT MARDI’S LIFE AS A PAINTER… EVERYONE KNOWS YOU CAN’T EASILY MAKE A  LIVING AS A PAINTER WHILE ALSO WORKING FULLTIME AS A TEACHER.

  MARDI HAS  A PRODIGIOUS TALENT AS A  PORTRAIT PAINTER… I THINK OF HER  BEAUTIFUL SELF-PORTRAITS ,TOO, A SCOTTISH GWEN JOHN-… IN WATER COLOUR , PASTEL AND PEN AND INK….”

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