Kate Bockhorst
A Hobby Renewing a Life
Jeff Cooper is not your typical individual. He is a man that has a disability man with an unusual hobby. Readjusting to his new way of living was a great challenge for a young man who had his whole life ahead of him. In order to pass the time in his somewhat new world, Cooper discovered his current hobby in late 2005. After looking online, Cooper was able to teach himself the art of painting and built his skill level. This hobby could be considered unique. The process is very strict and time consuming. Cooper describes the process in detail. “Gourds are basically a hard shell (after curing) filled with seeds and a paper-like substance. I just take a cured gourd, drill a hole in it with a cordless drill, cut desired shapes out with a jigsaw and rake all seeds and papery-substance out by way of a long slender tool that I ordered from a gourd farm in California. I used a straightened coat hanger prior to ordering the tool.” “I cut my desired holes, paint the gourd with acrylic paints after creating a background (often wood stained). I then glue in a perch and a wire (copper usually) as a means of hanging the gourd.” “Lastly, I paint the entire gourd with a clear polyurethane to protect the gourd from outdoor elements. Although, most people never put my art in trees as intended for fear of messing it up.” “I can cut, drill and clean gourds relatively quickly; painting takes considerably longer though. The reason it that a gourd is round. I have to let one painted section dry before moving on, unfortunately.” Cooper uses floral designs and acrylic paints to decorate the outside of the gourd.”
The gourds he uses come from farms that Cooper discovers through local bulletins posted in the mail. While he enjoys the gourds, Cooper was not always such an artsy person. Back in the early 90s, Cooper was an all American young man. “I was getting along great ... I was working both a full-time and a part-time job while satisfying my landscape clients on the weekends,” Cooper said. Just when someone thinks life could not get any better, bad news seems to follow. Life threw Jeff a curveball, and it would forever change this young man’s life. No one ever saw it coming. Cooper was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1992 and later had it removed. “Ten percent of the tumor couldn't be cut out because it was located dangerously close to my brainstem; therefore, the remaining 10 percent of tumor was cooked with radiation twice daily for six weeks. The radiation caused the vessels in my brain to not grow along with my body as I aged,” Cooper said. A few years later while still recovering from the tumor, Cooper suffered a stroke. After his illness, Cooper moved in with his parents who became his full-time caretakers. Today, Cooper relies on them for everything. Because of his disabilities from the stroke, his world became virtually motionless. He is partially paralyzed from the waistedown and is confined to a wheelchair. “I was a very socially active person prior to the stroke. Now, I have the social life of a peanut,” Cooper said. “I became dependent once more. You begin life with strong dependencies that you eventually break free of. Going back to dependency after finally ridding yourself of it is an extremely hard pill to swallow,” Cooper said. “My gourd-crafting was born out of the necessity to alleviate boredom. I quickly tired of the dead time that was once actively occupied by jobs,” Cooper said. “I decided it'd be relatively easy to learn. My dad had some gourds that he wanted me to paint. So, gourds became my canvas after I learned how to paint,” Cooper said. He strictly works alone and receives no outside help in this endeavor.
June Brown is a Roswell, Ga. resident who recently became a customer. “I met Jeff Cooper and his parents when they joined the disability support group at our church. At one of the meetings, Jeff brought several bird houses he had made out of gourds. They were carved and hand painted, each with a different color and design. I was so impressed with the beauty and workmanship, I couldn't resist buying one. I enjoy it every day,” Brown said. “The bird house has a special place in my home. It means a great deal to me because my friend made it with his own hands,” Brown said.
Word of mouth is the most common way Cooper gets the news of his craft spread in the community. The gourds are made to be either bird feeders or bird houses. When asked how Cooper customizes each order, he says he allows a little leeway for people to choose their colors. “Clients tell me what colors they would like, and I try to make accommodations” Cooper said.
As far as cost, Cooper said, “I have no set-price as of now. I guess it is mostly dependent upon how much time I have spent on a particular piece. “They range in price from $20-50 in most cases though.”
Cooper also lived an active social life and enjoying hanging out with his friends. It was amazing for him to see how quickly people who would claim to be your so-called friends could turn on you in a person’s time of need. “I had several buddies that I spent a good-bit of time with before the stroke. Afterward, they kind of walked out on me. They turned their backs on a friend they'd had since childhood because I was no-longer able to party-it-up with them ... So now that life has become such a bore; I occupy my time with creating art.”
“My son is a walking, talking, living, breathing miracle from God. He shouldn’t be here but God had another plan. He’s not though with him yet,” Randy Cooper said.
Cooper has no real set direction where he wants to take his art. “As far as I go; it is nothing more than a vent for my creativity while also being a method used to occupy some of my time ... I do sell some stuff for no other reason than to create space for new works. I am not really doing it as a source of income. I use my earnings to buy more art supplies,” Cooper said. What does the future hold for this artist? He shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. With his creativity showing no bounds, the future is unlimited. “I hope to one day have a woman and a romance taking up my time rather than art,” Cooper said.
Cooper expressed his hopes for the future by saying, “I really do enjoy expressing my imaginative and creative side in this manner; but truthfully, it is only a means for me to be constructive with my abundance of time ... I hope to have no need for a way to kill time in the future.” This kind of positive attitude is what can turn a hopeless situation into a desirable outcome. Despite everything that Jeff Cooper has experience over the last 19 years, you would have trouble hearing any complaints from him. This shows that even in a person’s darkest day, the light can still shine if the person is willing to put in the effort. This story is one of fortitude, sheer determination, and the will to live life to its fullest. To say that Randy Cooper is not proud of his son would be an understatement. “Jeff, through all the adversity, doesn’t know how to stop trying, give up or give in. He’s never said, “Why Me” or felt sorry for himself. I have more respect for my son than any man alive! I’m truly proud of him,” Randy Cooper said.
