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Living Large: Hungry For Art
1 Apr, 2006 By: Marty Whitford Pest Management ProfessionalIndustry consultant Norm Cooper becomes one with his paint brush, rice paper and Chinese ink
"From as far back as I can remember, from when I was a very young boy, I have always loved to draw and paint and been schooled in the disciplines of the arts," says Norm Cooper.
 "Autumn Outside Chengdu," showcasing the lush fall foliage in a Szechuan village (based on sketches made on site) |
"I just developed a bad habit along the way — I like to eat — and not too many artists were making a living when I was younger," adds Cooper, tongue-in-cheek when explaining how a creative type such as he wound up spending 53 years (and counting) in the pest management business.
Cooper has dabbled in drawing and painting throughout his illustrious career — which includes founding Abby Exterminating Services, heading Exterminating Services Co. (ESCO) for 25 years, being selected to Pest Control's Hall of Fame and serving as an industry consultant specializing in mergers and acquisitions for the past 10 years (normcooper@verizon.net).
In 1991–92, when serving as president of the National Pest Control Association, now called the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), Cooper designed the organization's "Guardians of the Environment" theme.
Cooper also helped the group create a coloring book for kids that educated them (and their parents) on different pests and how pest management technicians are both professionals and guardians of our planet's precious people and natural resources. The coloring book, which contained puzzles and other games, is being considered for recirculation after its first printing of nearly 500,000 copies, Cooper says.
 "Early Winter's Eve Return," depicting a fisherman's return to his waterfront village |
THIRD LOVE
Cooper says he first met his third love — Chinese art — after being introduced to his other main squeezes, his wife and the pest management business.
The year was 1981 and it marked Cooper's first trip to China. He would fall fast and hard for the Orient, traveling to China five more times, Japan five times, Singapore four, Indonesia twice, and India and Taiwan once each since then.
"I was immediately struck by both the beauty and the uniqueness of Chinese art," Cooper says. "I remember saying to myself 25 years ago, 'Some day, I'd like to do that.' However it wasn't until I semi-retired and became a part-time industry consultant in 1996 that I had the time to pick up my paint brush and give Chinese art a try.
"I haven't looked back since," Cooper says. "Chinese art had my attention from Day 1 and my heart from the moment I began to walk in the footsteps of other Chinese artists and accept the hands-on guidance of greats like Diana Kan and Jin Guangyu."
Chinese art typically is painted on silk or rice paper with Chinese ink, which typically is processed dark charcoal containing a binder. The artist grinds different types and pigments of charcoal on a special stone and mixes them with a little water.
 "Summer Idyll," encompassing recurring themes of classical Chinese art: meditation in a tea house, mountains, mist and waterfalls |
"The Chinese have a Zen-like approach to art," Cooper says. "Before, when creating so-called Western art, I knew exactly what each brush stroke would look like, and its precise thickness and curve, before I put brush to paper.
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