115MODERN IN DENVER.COM114

Show and Tell

from manhattan to the menu at my brother’s bar, she’s everywhere.

there’s a reason why the woman illustrating columns in the new

york times, the wall street Journal and the washington post has

a sandwich named after her at one of denver’s oldest bars (it’s

affectionately known as the hooper in case you’re curious.) it’s

because some people are simply too thoughtful and talented to avoid

leaving a footprint in the cultural cement of their surroundings.

whether she means to or not, hadley hooper makes an impression.

“My first job was for Westword and I screwed it up,” Hadley

chuckles from her back room workspace at Ironton Studios and

Gallery. It’s located in RiNo, the dynamite art district that Hadley

helped found. Shaken by her faux pas with Westword right after

college, Hadley explains how she put the brakes on a career in

illustration and instead worked on finding her artistic bearings in a

co-op for seven years. Her time was well spent, and eventually she

decided to give illustration a more experienced shot. “I went to

Tattered Cover, looked up art directors in all the major magazines

and sent them my work,” Hadley recalls. That was 20 years ago,

and today Hadley need not worry about securing work. In her

busiest year, she created 300 illustrations for a range of clients.

WORDS: Eleanor Perry-Smith

photo: Trevor Brow

n Jr.

Show and Tell

The ubiquitous Hadley Hooper chats about her imaginative imagery of then, now and next.

leFT: Hadley creates

redolent imagery in her

studio with the help of

her fluffy sidekick.

ABOVe: Ulysses, oil-

based ink, crayon and

graphite on birch panel,

59x59 inches, 2011.

117MODERN IN DENVER.COM116

Secretary, oil-based ink, crayon and graphite on birch panel, 59x59 inches, 2011.

cup, oil-based ink, crayon and graphite on birch panel, 59x59 inches, 2011. Blue chair, oil-based ink, crayon and graphite on birch panel, 59x59 inches, 2011.

Striped chairs, oil-based ink, crayon and graphite on birch panel,

59x59 inches, 2011.

“She’s a wonderful talent,” says Tina Goodwin

who represents Hadley at Goodwin Fine Arts, “I’m

captivated by her images, they’re so evocative.”

Hadley’s paintings illuminate a side of her ability

that she doesn’t often get to express within

the parameters of commissioned illustration. In

her latest exhibition, The Weight of Things, she

commemorated family heirlooms that were

meaningful in thought, but physically burdensome.

So in a brilliant display of reverence, she set the

objects within her own context, and then sent them

out into the world. “The blue chair was a completely

different painting and then I washed the whole

thing,” Hadley explains of her signature construction

and deconstruction method; “I had the good sense

to stop before I over-complicated it.”

Grainy yet fresh, the paintings speak of a well-

voiced artist who has communicated through

imagery long enough to expertly meet the

challenge of reassigning meaning. Teacups

become icons in Hadley’s world. Victorian busts

get modern face-lifts. “She must have ten different

paintings before she arrives at the final layer,” Tina

ponders. And more are on the way as Hadley

says she plans to move things outside. Her next

collection will perhaps explore verdure as opposed

to vestibules. It makes sense, as she voluntarily

gardens at Ironton where she will participate in the

annual group show from July 6-28.

hadley hooper

It’s an impressive evening event with the bonus

backdrop of Coors Field fireworks and enticing smoke

from Biker Jim’s exotic hot dogs. “We have such an

amazing group of artists here right now,” Hadley says

of the painters, sculptors, wood and metal workers

who will participate in the show, as their studios

surround Ironton’s inviting courtyard. It’s as inspiring

a place as any, which is one reason why Hadley has

tethered her talent to Denver for this long.

So while her diverse work—from book covers to

liquor labels—disperses across the nation, Hadley’s

anchor is that quiet back room at Ironton where

her decapitated bull painting looms over her

desk without a drop of gore. “I think my paintings

hopefully have a sense of pathos and wit about

them,” says a woman whose mark on this city is not

only clever and compassionate, but also makes for

an excellent sandwich.

All Songs considered, Calendar Page, 2012.

hadley hooper

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