K. Daphnae Koop
Artist’s statement:
I am a painter whose inspiration lies in the materials I work with: repurposed wood that carries the dirt and scars of its history, along with recycled shattered glass that brings along its own story.
I piece together, carve and then paint my panels, guided by the carved textures or the paint I have already laid on the surface. My interest in used or abused materials is central to my work. It is an expression both of the life and beauty that exists in the ordinary, and of notions of reclamation and rebirth. The carved texture combined with the rich colors of my paints and the sparkle of shattered glass transforms the destruction and decay in my materials into beauty and triumph.
Artist Bio
Growing up in Minnesota, her grandmother taught her quilting, and her grandfather taught her building and woodworking. A childhood spent wandering Minnesota’s country roads and woods instilled in her a deep love of the land, and her connection to Minnesota’s lakes and rivers offered insight into the flow that embraces all things.
Koop has a particular love of Medieval gilded manuscripts, alchemical formulae, reliquaries and objects of devotion and inspiration. These objects are an attempt to render the invisible visible, which is also the deep motivation behind all of her work. Her work combines objects and techniques not traditionally used together, and honors the beauty underlying the basest of materials.
Koop studied art and literature, earning a BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her work has been shown in New York, New England and throughout the Midwest, and is included in both private and public collections.