First published in the June issue of the free Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine — distributed all around Revelstoke.
No longer a ski bum scraping by, graphic designer based in Revelstoke Kaz Cooper has found a way to bridge the gap between creating and making a living.
Fusing her drawings with the digital world, Cooper creates graphics for the outdoor industry that have her own unique stamp. Her work has found its way onto snowboards, surfboards and billboards.
Last month she was featured for a second time in the prestigious State of the Art (SOTA) exhibition at Whistler’s Ski and Snowboard Festival. SOTA showcases a refined selection of about 50 artists and approximately 1,000 pieces of art, which explores the intimate sub-culture of lifestyle action sports.
Back in 2008, Cooper only dreamt of being featured.
“I thought it was the coolest art exhibition I had ever been to in my entire life,” Cooper says. “I still remember going. I was like, ‘One day, I want to be in this exhibition.'”
Cooper is softly spoken but reverberates a positive energy that is reflected in her art. It’s fantastical and somewhat pretty. Cooper creates it with watercolour pencils and biro, blended over with a paintbrush. A figure with anime characteristics often appears, possibly influenced from Cooper’s time in Japan.
“Living in Japan was incredible,” Cooper says. “I was completely amazed by the Japanese culture. The kindness of the Japanese, the beauty of the mountain and historic temples and their style of anime art which is still my favourite genre of art today.”
Working on a piece can take Cooper up to 40 hours to finish, and once she starts, she’s determined to see it through. Although her art has become a reflection of her journey in life, Cooper says she’s never tried to find any deeper meaning.
“I draw because it makes me content,” she says. “It’s almost like I am in my own little bubble and the influences of my surroundings, or the people that I share my life with, at that particular time seem to find a way to end up on my page.
“Love however has always been an underlying core in my art. I have had my heart broken, been in love and fallen out of love a few times, and when I look back upon a particular series of my art it is apparent that it reflects what’s within my heart.”
Immersed in the adventure and outdoor industry, Cooper has been travelling for a long time. She hails originally from the beach town of Narooma in New South Wales, Australia. She’s been in Revelstoke for over two years and currently works for Glacier House Resort and Great Canadian Tours in their marketing department.
She first started travelling with a ski season in Australia and she says being surrounded by like-minded people kept bringing her back.
“I fell in love with snowboarding, the thrill of progression with my own riding, the vibe and the people I have met along the way,” Cooper said. “Before I knew it, six seasons had passed by in Australia, two in Japan, and now number five in Canada.”
Wherever she is in the world, Cooper always is drawing and designing. Since spending time on Hamilton Island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef last year, her work took a decidedly island twist.
“My biggest influences at the time have definitely come from the environment that I am immersed in whether it be the ocean or the mountains,” Cooper says.
Her drawings from this time were used in her submission for SOTA and they have found their new home in the Taco Club.
Cooper’s passion for the outdoor lifestyle and growing up in a beach town has helped her make the right contacts — a huge advantage for her career.
“I’ve just been so fortunate to be in the industry and meet the right people,” Cooper says.
She has designed for Endeavour’s Airhole, the facemask brand, and in 2012, she won the Dragon Goggle and Transfer Snowboard Magazine design competition for South East Asia. She also designs for Australian snowboard brand Catalyst and is a contributing artist for Inlayz —a print, board company. Cooper also does the design work for Australia’s Rhythm Snow Sports (the largest ski and snowboard retail store in the country).
Being in Revelstoke, Cooper has found the community spirit has helped to nurture her artistic inspirations.
“Everyone here is out on bikes riding and everyone helps each other,” Cooper says. “It’s sort of like the town wants to grow as one. When I first started out, I struggled to come to terms with using a computer to be creative. It took me many years to be confident in my abilities to use design programs and to work efficiently. I was ever so grateful I had my illustration skills to fall back on.”
Cooper is past the learning phase and is revelling in some successes, but the future gleams bright and unknown. Already she has plans to get into clothing designing.
“The most valuable thing I have learnt in my career is to dream big,” Cooper says.
“Always have a goal or a dream and enjoy the challenges it may throw at you along the way. It is never going to be an easy road, but hard work, commitment, growth, passion and the support of those around you will get you a long way.”
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