Art by Alum Karen Cooper On Display at Western Museum of Art in Texas

COWBOYS AND INDIANS (DALLAS) -- Understanding negative space has been integral to Cooper’s creative approach since she began drawing on scratchboard at age 15. As an exchange student at an experimental art school in Sweden, she studied copper-plate etching and oil painting and was introduced to textile art. She earned a bachelor’s degree in textiles from San Francisco State University and traveled to Guatemala to study with indigenous weavers, an experience that enhanced her sense of color.