Allison Hunt Cooper paints Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Prestage’s wedding, November 7, 2015, at Figure Eight Island Yacht Club. Team Boney,
8 x 10 inches, acrylic on canvas.
Using bright, engaging color palettes and loose brush strokes, she
channels her zeal for life into every painting she creates.
Unique in Cooper’s oeuvre is her “Paint your Wedding” series. She
often positions herself on-site during a ceremony to capture the joy of
the moment in situ. The resulting paintings teem with happiness and
celebration.
Commissioned paintings depicting beloved homes and pets,
and creative compositions of flora and fauna are hallmarks of
Cooper’s practice. Painting in layers, beginning with the background
and laying subject matter on top after, Cooper achieves impressive
vibrancy.
“I paint because it allows me to bring joy to other people,” she says.
“Delivering a painting to a happy customer is one of the best feelings
in the world.”
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Allison Hunt Cooper’s artistic inspiration blossomed as a child when
she visited her grandparents in Wilmington.
“Grandmama would buy us canvases in bulk, paint brushes and
loads of paint whenever we came to visit,” says Cooper, who was
known by her maiden name, Allison Ester, before her June 2017 wed-ding
to Andrew Cooper. “They lived in a beautiful house that my Poppa
built in Shandy Point, right across the street from the sound. Pulling
onto Skystasail Drive made my sisters and me so excited because we
knew so many new adventures awaited us. These were some of the
best days of my life. I loved being able to swim in the basin, take the
boat to dinner, build forts next to the marsh and take walks to feed
the ducks under the trees flowing with Spanish moss. This is where my
inspiration to paint all started.”
Cooper’s works reflect her positive and enthusiastic personality.
Palm Tree Island, 16 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas. Causeway Café, 16 x 20 inches, acrylic on canvas.
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
ALLISON HUNT COOPER
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLISON HUNT COOPER
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