Lydia Cooper is a self taught artist; she specializes in clay sculpture and working in the mediums of charcoal, ink, oils and acrylics. She started painting portraits as a teenager and had her first "one-man" show at the age of 15. While still in High School, she thought of joining the Peace Corps and she did not consider making a career out of selling her art. When she went to college Lydia turned down an art scholarship and majored in sociology instead. It was not until 1978 that Ldyia took up art again and she began experimenting in different mediums and techniques.