Meet Deborah Pate-Cooper | Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Deborah Pate-Cooper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Deborah, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Warm coastal waterways and a rich blend of cultures hold a special place in my heart. From the earliest of civilizations, some of the greatest cultural exchanges and diverse populations can be found along waterways and industrial focal points. This is how my life began in Beaumont, Texas along the Gulf Coast. The great diversity among industry, nature, people, and traditions created a very unique “Gumbeaux of Life” as one might say, and it provided a vast array of education and cultural influences that I draw upon for inspiration to this very day.

As a costal native, the coexistence of natural and industrial worlds has piqued my interest from an early age, increasing my awareness of extraordinary moments or perspectives. Texas is a big state with a lot of diversity both in nature and industry, so there are many “unique moments” to be found if we just stop and take a look. Nature and industry affect one another simply through coexistence, and that coexistence has inspired me to interpret and deliver unique perspectives not commonly portrayed in today’s fast-paced society through my paintings and photography. If we continue to live our lives at such a pace without experiencing our environment at every level, many of the unique aspects of the natural world will disappear from our minds, therefore creating a form of pre-extinction. It is my hope to keep these unique perspectives and moments alive for an audience in need of natural connections, and a reminder of the effects that each one has on the other.

Some of the things that inspire my creations:
Wind • Water • Industrial Structures • Botanical Structures • Energy • Life • Rhythm

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My entire life has been immersed in the humanities, with the visual arts at the top of the list, so it’s not surprising that I have always felt comfortable when I have opportunities to work and learn among other creators and philosophical, inventive types. I also value observing and listening to the interpretations of others who experience my art. It is a key component of my creative process, which I attribute to my training and development in the early days of university life in Beaumont, Texas with professors who held regular sessions to train students in the art and value of critique.

My first career has taken me on many adventures with a myriad of clientele in the commercial art world for 35 years. The majority of that time was spent creating and directing campaigns for others while attending to fine art endeavors after hours or on weekends. It has always been a dream of mine to shift into the fine art world exclusively, and this is my current mission. These days, I am applying what I have learned over the years while working alongside other artists at shows or events to generate greater exposure. Events of this nature also benefit my understanding of how the general public interacts and responds to my work. Some of my greatest growth opportunities thus far have come from painting live. For the longest, I was afraid to paint live. One of the galleries in the Dallas World Trade Center (Artistic Transfer) continued asking me to paint live, so I finally took the plunge and found it to be a very rewarding experience that I now look forward to whenever opportunities arise.

Shifting into the fine art world is not necessarily easy, and gaining acceptance by galleries or exhibition venues can be very competitive. However, as an emerging fine artist, I continue attending openings, entering competitions, scouting calls for entries, looking for exhibition spaces, and working on my promotional efforts. Taking opportunities to work and visit among other artists also allows a chance to compare notes, learn from each other, and build each other up. We inevitably end up discussing successes, failures, artistic methods, supply vendors, and more, so it is always a great time among like-minded people with similar goals. We always walk away with more knowledge than when we started.

I am not always good at saying what I am most proud of, but I am fortunate to have some pivotal moments that have propelled my endeavors forward, such as:
-Breaking into the comfort zone of learning to paint live and interacting directly with my audience.
-Fighting with a painting (“Hooked”) until it began to promote healing and brought me through a fight with neuropathy as a Breast Cancer Survivor.
-Appearing in publications such as Dallas Style & Design and Charleston Style & Design.
-Painting live at Feizy Rugs (Dallas World Trade Center) during various markets events.
-Solo Show at Clink Wine Bar (Flower Mound, Texas).
-April 2022 Dallas International Guitar Festival live painting
-2020 Flowers Art Competition – Art Gallery Inc.
-2019 Art Idol & Jane Seymour Exhibit Finale (Dallas World Trade Center)

My art is for me as much as it is for others. I have a need to remain connected to the natural world and pay attention to the extraordinary moments just as anyone else. However, I know how easily we can become disconnected and fail to see the master engineer and artist that Mother Nature truly is, causing us to lose sight of the reciprocal relationship. If we allow the disconnection, many of the unique aspects of the natural world will disappear from our minds, creating a form of pre-extinction impacting our own inner nature. It is my hope to keep these unique perspectives and moments alive. I want to continue observing and delivering those moments of energy, life, rhythm, and contrast to help us all slow our pace, learn to cut the noise in our minds, and just observe because that’s when we empower ourselves to receive these “extraordinary moments.”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
-Art Museum in Irving for great interaction among a community and the artists within a smaller community with big talent. -Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens for some of the most beautiful encounters with nature in a metro area.
-Dallas World Aquarium for a great indoor experience for those who may not be able to get out into the full sun. My husband and I celebrated my “second” birthday here for several years after recovering from Breast Cancer, so it has a special meaning to me.
-Canvas Hotel for one of the best rooftop views in the entire city, day or night. You’ll find great photo opportunities, and a hotel that caters to supporting the arts from the moment you enter the hotel lobby.
-Sundance Square for a great weekend destination just to the west of Dallas. My husband and I used to frequent this destination for great music and food after a long work week. We started these excursions way back when the Caravan of Dreams was located there.
-Four Day Weekend for great live comedy. Love this crew and have enjoyed them for almost 25 years straight!
-Scat Jazz for a true “speakeasy” experience with great music in the true “speakeasy era” style.
-Afrah in Richardson for some of the best in Mediterranean food and a great outdoor dining experience no matter what the weather holds.
-Clink Wine Bar in Flower Mound for a cozy wine bar with a fabulous chef and owner that loves to support the arts (visual artists and musicians).
-Globe Life Field for the best in sports venues that Texas has to offer in my humble opinion.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Damon Cooper
Gayle Rae-Taylor Kinze
Magda Plagge
Dawn Rhodes
Katie Radcliff
Valerie Pettingill
Laura Black/Clink Wine Bar in Flower Mound
Jerry Pate
Jill Downes-Pate
Bailey Pate
Bobby Pate
Clydine Pate
Kim Allen
Tom Lang/Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center
Lilian Powell, David Yangco/Artistic Transfer
Cindy Baker-Miniat
Ronnie Griffon
Henrietta Milan
Tal Milan
Feizy Rugs/Dallas World Market Center
Julia Ross
Crystal House
Ken Godden
Holly Izard
Matt Izard
Sherrey Caton
Dr. Harris
Bill Downes
Cathy Downes
Jennifer Lagrone
All my professors from Lamar University and University of Texas-Tyler!
My entire medical team, Texas Oncology, and Cancer Support Community Dallas!

Website: deborahcooperart.com

Instagram: deborahcooperart

Facebook: Deborah Cooper

Image Credits
Deborah Cooper