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Fine Art in the Fast Lane
Not too long ago, the only thing artist Jacqueline Cooper
knew about Alameda was the speed limit. "I'd been told
it was 25 miles per hour Island-wide." Then she met Alameda
artist-contractor Colin Herrick, and the rest is history in the
making. Since she opened Autobody Fine Art in March 2008 in a
huge live-work space above Park Street Antiques, in collaboration
with Herrick, Cooper's charisma has won her fans and put
her on the fast track to success.
The gallery they've created—in what previously were
offices housing a mortgage brokerage firm above, yes, an auto
body shop—could easily transplant into an artsy area in
London (Cooper's original home town) or Los Angeles (where
she first got into painting and received her master's in
fine art). Cooper and Herrick's decision to showcase contemporary
art by emerging and mid-career artists, mostly from the Bay Area,
and their lively art-happening openings, have made the gallery
community-central for artists and art lovers from throughout
the East Bay. It is also, Cooper is delighted to report, pulling
in people who don't know all that much about contemporary
art but want to understand it and learn more.
Cooper arrived in California 18 years ago, initially on vacation,
with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry. Six months into
her visit, she decided to take some classes and signed up for
one in art. That was it. She was instantly hooked. "I can't
remember when art changed from 'going to a class' to 'the
reason I get up in the morning'. " The inner metamorphosis
initiated an outer one. Cooper, a walking blast of quirky humor
and creative energy, is ornate in the flesh. "Yes, I'm
covered in tattoos. Lots of floral stuff and calligraphy," she
says, laughing, as we wander from the gallery into her living
space where her roommates are three cats and two dogs.
She wasn't looking to open a gallery—just for somewhere
to live and work—when she saw the Park Street listing on
Craigslist. The instant she walked in, she says, "I knew
it had to be a gallery." She thought of the small inheritance
her mom, a onetime Royal Ballet dancer, had left her four years
previously. Soon as she and Herrick agreed they'd work
on the project together, she cashed in the stocks and they got
going. To keep costs down, Herrick did much of the labor, including
removing 300 office shelves, which in itself feels like an artistic
statement.
Her mom's inheritance was enough to get them going, and
to help them survive the first year. And, says Cooper, "It
feels really good to know the money has created this space that's
bringing people together and giving artists a voice." Her
shorthand version of how they plan to make a financial go of
it is, "savvy sales, challenging work-and events," which
includes renting out the gallery space for workshops and events.
These days, the Alameda speed limit is the last thing on Cooper's
mind. She settled in-and doesn';t want to go anywhere
fast.
"WhatYouSee Galore!" runs through September. Autobody Fine Art,
1517 Park St., (510) 865-2608, www.autobodyfineart.com, open noon-6 p.m
Wed.-Sat., often on Sundays and by appointment.
—By Wanda Hennig
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