Celebrated in not just Jamaica but around the world, Cecil Harvey Cooper is an immensely talented and revered artist. We caught up with him in his studio and found out 10 interesting things about him:

1. Cooper grew up in Hanover with his mother, father and six siblings (3 brothers and 3 sisters).

2. Cooper became one of the first graduates of the Jamaican School of Art (now the Edna Manley College of Visual and Performing Arts). 

3. Cooper received a Silver medal in the local National Fine Art Competition in 1967 for his painting of the Blue Mountains.

4. He is not only a visual artist but a performing one! He is a classical tenor. He is a part of the 'Dem 3 Jamaican Tenors' alongside David Reid and Steve Higgins.

5. Cooper lived in New York for much of the 60s and 70s, until his return to Jamaica in the 80s.

6. Cooper studied in the USA where he completed his Bachelor’s Degree and Masters from the School of the Visual Arts, New York. He painted and also exhibited during this period.

7. He studied music in New York on a Jamaican government scholarship.

8. Cooper was present during the New York City electricity blackout of 1977 that affected most of New York City on July 13–14, 1977. He even remembers the incredible stink left by all the rotting food in ChinaTown! 

9. Cooper's museum exposure includes the National Gallery of Jamaica, The University of Wisconsin, Creighton University and the Joslyn Museum in Nebraska, and the Brooklyn Museum, New York.

10. Cooper cooks the best saltfish you’ll ever taste!