"Ermine" Trina Cooley's latest piece to be showcased at the ART I.S. Launch Party.
A Bay Area native, Trina was born with a dwarfing condition that continues to shape her unique view of the world, particularly as it relates to her appreciation for unconventional beauty, life’s genetic mutations and the stories behind the scars, blood and tears.
As a child, Trina was caught between the average-sized world and the dwarf world, never finding her place in either so she created her own shadowland between the two where abnormal became normal and imperfections were viewed as assets, not flaws. Though this world emerged as a refuge, it quickly blossomed into the wonderland she now shares with a myriad of “recycled, repurposed and low-maintenance pets” that continually challenge the concept of true beauty.
This artist spent her teen years on a horse ranch in central California where foaling season taught her first hand about the anomalies of nature and the cruel fate that often awaits downed animals. In a town of 300, dirt roads were littered with more animal parts than car waste and she would often see people cleaning up unfortunate accidents by throwing the casualties into plastic bags and carting them away to dumpsters where they were forgotten. These experiences haunted her and it was then that her interest in the wondrous cycle of life and death and the art of animal preservation started to peak.
After collecting Victorian taxidermy pieces for years, Trina enrolled in a class to learn some basic techniques and quickly discovered that real value comes from trial and error. From that first endeavor, “Frankenmouse” was born, as was a passion for restoring beauty to damaged, deformed and discarded creatures with respect and appreciation so that they can be admired for years to come – all with a twisted sense of humor and whimsy.
Her current work takes on a variety of forms, including wet specimens, insect pinning, costuming, dioramas and wunderkammers. No animals are killed for use in her art, but rather come to life when she's ready to receive and honor them whether it be through pet shop fatality, parts donated from other taxidermy artists or the occasional road kill.
Trina currently resides in San Francisco with her two calicos where she's living out her own dark and lyrical fairy tale with a gaggle of circus sideshow freaks that she is privileged to call friends.
We think I.S. based artist, Trina Cooley is awesome, talented, and has something to teach all of us.
For more on Taxidermy:
HowStuffWorks "How Taxidermy Works"
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