Andrew Cooper is a Cape Town landscape artist. He tells says Margaret Harris being an artist gives him the freedom to do what he lovesWhat is a landscape artist?A landscape artist captures nature, including mountains, valleys, trees, rivers and coastlines, especially where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition.You are involved in mentoring young artists. Tell me about the process and the young artists you mentor.I met Erick Karangwa, a young Rwandan artist, in 2014, after reading about him in a local newspaper. He had just done his first exhibition at a shopping centre.In the article, he said he admired my work and wanted to learn how to paint like me. I was touched by his kind words and decided to track him down.story_article_left1Karangwa works as a car guard at Constantia Village shopping centre and, since we first met, we've met for coffee once a week.We'll talk about technique and the use of light in his paintings, as well as other important topics such as marketing and budgeting.Young artists who have talent aren't always given the opportunity to show their work because of circumstances and, when they do, they're either exploited or end up broke because of a lack of financial skills.As a child I was inspired by my mother, who was also an artist.Her encouragement and support helped me to forge a career as an artist.How did you arrive at this point in your career?I never studied art at school or at university. At the age of five, I was inspired by my mother's love of art.She studied at the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town, and my fascination with her sketches led me to experiment with pencils and pencil crayons, drawing anything from caricatures and cartoons to birds.Between the ages of 13 and 18, I began working with watercolours.It wasn't until after I served in the South African army that I wanted to paint landscapes and seascapes.I first produced nine paintings, borrowed money from my mother to have them framed, and sold all of them during an art exhibition at Groot Constantia wine farm in the Constantia winelands.This led to me exhibit at a well-respected gallery called Carmel, which is when my career as a professional artist began, now more than 20 years ago.What was you first paying job?I worked as a salesperson in an office-furniture business when I left school.story_article_right2What did you want to be when you were a child?A jeweller. I was always fascinated by this craft and loved the idea of producing beautiful and timeless pieces.What do you most enjoy about being an artist?I love the lifestyle that being an artist gives me. I have the freedom to spend my day doing what I love and I'm passionate about, and that's art.Which part of your job do you not enjoy?Starting out, I found not having a set income very tricky.I had to keep a strict budget: I never knew when I'd sell my next painting, and this was, of course, stressful.But fortunately that is no longer an issue for me. I now enjoy every element of my profession.What advice do you have for young people wanting to become artists?I tell young artists to keep their formal jobs or whatever brings in the money before deciding to be a full-time artist. It takes time to build a name for yourself to ensure that you can survive solely on the sale of your paintings...