It was near the end of the semester of Cooper Root’s (21) senior year at PLNU. He was placing the finishing touches on a freestanding round “window” built out of driftwood he found on the beach when a man who had been walking nearby came up to him and asked him about the piece.
“He wanted to keep in touch so I gave him my email and honestly didn’t think much of it at the time,” said Root. “I just remember him coming up with his iPad and taking pictures and thinking that it was cool, [and] he liked it.”
Little did Root know this encounter would lead him to a future career in the creative, tactile art space working with brands like Stussy and Starbucks.
As one of the students who fully experienced the unique learning structure of COVID-19 in college, Root didn’t get the chance to spend time in a traditional internship. Although he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and enjoyed aspects of his classes, there was little opportunity for him to figure out if he enjoyed the work outside of the classroom.
After graduation, Root spent some time working in the graphic design space until he realized he loved the creative space but didn’t necessarily want to pursue a career in digital art.
He moved back home to work for his family’s business but it wasn’t until he received an email from Southern California fine artist, Jim Olarte, that he discovered how his creative style could really flourish.
“I’ve never [regretted] my major,” said Root. “The art department at Loma taught me how to articulate what someone means when they say they like a piece of art. Point Loma taught me how to put words to people’s thoughts about things.”
A locally recognized figure in architectural macrame and fine art, Olarte’s work has graced the entryways of public and private spaces alike. He has been profiled across a variety of publications and other digital spaces like Surfer’s Journal and Orange Coast Magazine. Olarte’s work ranges from large to small installations created out of marine objects that he’s found or salvaged.
He’s also the man who was admiring Root’s driftwood window all those months ago on the shoreline.
“After he emailed me, I showed up to his studio in Laguna Beach with a bunch of rigging I had cut off of a crashed sailboat earlier and said, ‘show me how to do this,’” said Root, who’d been stashing the rope in one of his closets in Young Hall. “I sat on his floor and watched him work until I was able to help out with the pieces.”
Now Olarte’ official design partner, Root is responsible for building about half of the commissions that he and Olarte receive at the studio. Their large-scale creations are often reminiscent of the seaweed and kelp forests they live so close to. One look at Olarte’s Instagram and you’ll also see a distinct writing style in the captions — courtesy of Root, who took over social media and creative writing after he started working with Olarte.
“There are just endless stories I could tell about Jim,” said Root, who spends time sharing the unique aspects of their creative process and work in captions and through Instagram Stories.
Though they’ve created pieces for major brands, lately, the duo has also been working on pieces for private homeowners who install the pieces on walls, entryways, or ceilings. As a recent homeowner himself, Root has also been turning his design energy to his own space.
“I want it to be a peer space where people can come in and be creative, get married in the backyard, or hang out,” said Root.
When he’s not spending time designing his new home, he’s down at the studio with Olarte working on commissions or spending time with his family.
“The plan is to sit with Jim for as long as I can sit with Jim,” said Root. “Right now we are in a good time for art. We are able to build on this idea of art for the sake of art. It’s like a massage. Our work just looks and feels good. It doesn’t need a message.”
