Family Ties

Family Ties
Charles Cooper, Alicia Mino Gonzalez & Gary Grissom

April 22 - May 17, 2026
Reception: Saturday, April 25, 2-5pm

Cerulean Arts is pleased to present Family Ties, featuring paintings and works on paper by Charles Cooper, Alicia Mino Gonzalez and Gary Grissom. Each artist draws upon their family connections as the impetus for their work, both directly and indirectly. Driven by a keen interest in human psychology and our pursuit of purpose and meaning, Charles Cooper depicts family members in familiar, intimate spaces - whether physical places such as a bedroom, backyard, living room, or the interior spaces of memory, dreams and fantasy. Through this intensely personal exploration, he strives to uncover elements of universal significance, creating multifaceted narratives that invite diverse interpretations. Similarly, Gary Grissom’s paintings chronicle his family life and feature biographical references, family members and the landscape environment near his Philadelphia home. An obsession with patterning, surface detail and color variation is evident and harkens back to the abstract grid structure paintings he made in the 1970s. The family connection is less evident in Alicia Mino Gonzalez’ paintings, but no less important. The teapots in her finely rendered still life paintings were cherished gifts from family members back home in Chile. Family members are enlisted as models for her figurative paintings which are a response to the loss of cultural traditions in our increasingly commercialized and homogenized world.

Oil painting of a figure resting in front of a landscape with buildings and red field with a white chair

Cooper, Elegy Series: Carla, oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Colorful oil painting of a person sitting on a chair with a garden background

Cooper, The Juggler, oil on canvas, 40" x 30"

Colorful oil painting of a child and dog standing before a landscape with buildings and a distant figure

Cooper, Mike and Maggie, oil on canvas, 22" x 19"

Colorful oil painting of people in a field with a blue sky and green grass.

Cooper, Midnight Swim, oil on wood panel, 13" x 16.25"

Drawing of two people and a dog in a suburban setting with houses in the background.

Cooper, Elegy Series: Charles and Gillian, color pencil on paper, 12" x 9.5"

Colorful painting of a person sitting on a couch with a dog and bird in the background

Colorful painting of a person sitting on a couch with a dog and bird in the background

Cooper, Mike and Lucky, gouache on paper, 14" x 12"

Black and white drawing of a nude woman sitting in a chair with a dog and a speech bubble containing a tiny figure

Black and white drawing of a nude woman sitting in a chair with a dog and a speech bubble containing a tiny figure

Cooper, Gillian and Little Figure, graphite on paper, 12" x 9"

Black and white illustration of a male figure and child at the beach with abstract elements

Black and white illustration of a male figure and child at the beach with abstract elements

Cooper, Seaside Series: Pia, Daddy and the Sun, graphite with collage on paper, 14" x 11"

Gonzalez, Sophie, oil on panel, 9.5" x 7.5" Available

Gonzalez, Georgina's Dream, oil on panel, 9" x 7" Available

Gonzalez, Chinese Teapot, oil on panel, 5.5" x 7" SOLD

Gonzalez, The Bride's Teapot, acrylic on panel, 5" x 7" Available

Still Life painting of a decorative teapot with floral elements on a dark background

Gonzalez, Shunk Carmen I, acrylic on panel, 9.75" x 13.5"

Gonzalez, Shunk Carmen II, acrylic on panel, 10.5" x 14.5"

Still life painting with a teapot, flowers, and fruits on a dark background

Gonzalez, Teiera Di Fiori, acrylic on panel, 8.5" x 10"

Painting of three people with a colorful geometric patterned background

Grissom, Granddaughter & Grandparents, an American Family, acrylic on panel, 20" x 30"

Colorful painting of a woman and child sitting on a couch with a fairy figure, against a vibrant background.

Colorful painting of a woman and child sitting on a couch with a fairy figure, against a vibrant background.

Grissom, Sunjeon Holding Yuri on a Sofa, oil on wood, 24" x 18"

Grissom, Yuri & Yaqub, I'm in Thought, acrylic, oil, ink and pastel on paper, 18" x 24"

Painting of a man with gray hair and a colorful sweater, with a child and landscape in the background.

Painting of a man with gray hair and a colorful sweater, with a child and landscape in the background.

Grissom, Yoha Climbing a Wall Behind Me, oil on wood, 24" x 24"

Painting of a young girl in a pink coat with a colorful background

Grissom, Ava's New Coat, oil, ink and pastel on wood, 10" x 8"

Painting of two children dancing on a colorful, patterned walkway outdoors.

Grissom, Milo & Lena, Street Dance, oil on panel, 10" x 8"

Painting of people in various poses in a room with a colorful checkered floor and blue wall

Grissom, A Laughing Matter, a Sinking Floor, photos, acrylic, gouache, ink and graphite on watercolor paper, 14.5" x 22"

Painting of a child riding on a trolley with a colorful background

Painting of a child riding on a trolley with a colorful background

Grissom, Mr. Yasin on the Number 10 Trolley, gouache and watercolor on paper, 8" x 10"