Graphic Design,
Illustration & Fine Art.

Michael has over 40 years in fine art and 30 years in medical, commercial and engineering graphic design / illustration, he is currently Creative Director for a corporation in Flemington as well as owner of Cooper Graphics. Beyond print media, his experience includes web site creation, multimedia and animation graphics. He received his BFA in mixed media from Montclair University and pursued graduate classes in computer graphics at the School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute in Manhattan.

He does work for universities as well as advertising agencies and small businesses. Michael has illustrated several Lippincott medical review text books, produces cover art for medical journals, creates presentations, and thousands of medical journal figures.

In the area of fine art Michael has shown in numerous shows in the North East winning various awards and has work in private collections. He has apprenticed with internationally recognized sculptor Charles Simonds, working on a large scale piece for the New York Guggenheim Museum and outdoor piece at the Liberty Science Center. He was also on the installation team for the Gates by Christo and Jeanne‑Claude.

Michael had found that computer graphics has influenced and aided his fine art – in a technical sense to plan and make prototypes of ideas for art pieces, and perhaps also in a more subtle way, helping to create a stylized form for his abstract ideas.

Fine and Commercial Art – Working Together.

Graphic Design • Illustration • Web Design • Fine Art • Resume

Recreating the Wheel -
The Plan & Creation

The problem was to create a sculpture that had a very narrow base. In fact the base is part of the entire piece. I began drawing two squares on top of each other. Than removed lines and added lines. Introducing new curved and triangular shapes.

RITW-1

RITW-2

RITW-3

RITW-4

The Problems

Too many processes too little time. I found as I work on this project that there were many different elements that I was not an expert with. Such as working with aluminum and stained glass. It gave me an appreciation to an individual that is an expert in a particular medium. I forced too many elements into a short amount of time. That is why I see this piece now as a study because of the struggle I had with some of the elements. I still believe the total image still acheived my intent.

RITW-1

RITW-2

RITW-3

RITW-4

RITW-3

RITW-4

 

The Result

Unexpectly the sculpture turned out to be very figurative to me. I noticed this in final drawings. I liked this surprise and it became important to maintain that visually.