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Student uses painting for therapy
Reed Shackelford
The Advocate
For 25 year-old MHCC Visual Arts student Erik Koopman, when the paint hits the canvas, therapy is in session.
“Anyone can do art,” says Koopman, “it’s just a matter of knowing a little bit of something. And even then, its emotional quality makes it very therapeutic.
“If I’m stressed out, or if I have issues, or I want to get something out, I just come to the studio and paint,” added Koopman. “But it’s just priceless (because) anyone can do it. It’s like therapy for anyone.
Koopman, has been “on the couch” since he was young. He said he found his love when he was in school learning how to type.
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“I started out with more digital art (his original focus). In school when I was young and they first started teaching us typing, because technology was on the rise, I would always get in trouble because I’d be on paint bucket,” he said with a laugh, “so I’ve always been interested in art.”
Born in California, Koopman grew up and went to school in Germany until 2000 when he returned to the states. He was abroad as a self-proclaimed “Army brat,” with both parents being contracted civilians for the U.S. Army. But he always had art around him. “My family, particularly my mother, loved going to museums. Every time we went somewhere new, the first place we’d go is a museum.”
Besides museums, his life abroad had other influences on him.
“Growing up in Germany and moving a lot, there was this impermanence with my social life. There wasn’t that cliché ‘this is my best friend since I was 7! And we played in the sand box and such’,” said Koopman.
This impermanence with other social experiences has created the observant nature that has influenced most of the artist’s work.
“I love people-watching,” said Koopman. “If I’m not doing art, I’m reading books about people, mostly non-fiction, and going to museums, and people watching -- any kind of event where I can sit down and just look at people.”
The inspired creations of Koopman range from the field of graphic design to oil paintings. “A lot of my stuff is very expressionistic.”
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Koopman’s latest set of work has a personal meaning to him, dealing with themes of masculinity and social issues.
“This (his latest set) deals with phantom limb syndrome,” he said. “It really approaches the concept of masculinity in the sense that, since I was an Army brat, the stereotype of masculinity was everywhere. So in a sense, a lot of these are about taking away from that, taking away that archetype of strength.”
The student and artist, who lives in Fairview, has plans to move to Northeast Portland and would one day like to be an art teacher.
“I’m just going to keep doing it (his art),” said Koopman “I’d like to sell some and get some fame from it, but its not about that for me.”