Alexandra Coogan

2023 MSAA Art Showcase Entrants

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Alexandra Coogan – La Pine, OR

As a child, I lived in Fresno, CA beneath the majesty of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. From my childhood swing, I could identify the patterns of light and details of shape and value. I fell in love with the patterns of the trees, forest floor, water cascading over granite rock, and the mountains. I saw the connection between species and knew it was impossible to separate one aspect of nature from another. In grammar school, I learned drawing and art history. I entered the healing profession but always studied art. I continued to paint and studied art seriously at TN Tech University under the guidance of Perry Johnson MFA. I have also studied with Judith Kruger MFA learning Japanese painting (Nihonga). I had my first MS symptoms at age 18 but it became dormant until I was 48. I was officially diagnosed at 71. I’m grateful for my current medication and the ability to paint. I currently live in Central Oregon where the mountains meet the glacier lakes continually tantalizing appreciation for the mysteries in nature. Here, I paint.

After the Clearcut

Ungrounded