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About MeAs a Forensic Artist located in Southern California, I am currently doing composites for the Santa Monica Police Department in the Los Angeles area. In addition to the police artistry, I've performed work for the Page Museum - La Brea Tar Pits where I created the very first 2-D facial reconstruction on a 9,000 year old skull - the only human ever found from the site. I have also assisted with paleontology work by excavating, cleaning and preparing fossils for research. Also having experience assisting the Natural History Museum with their dinosaur reconstructions and taxidermy, I have a wide range of expertise in many aspects of the realm of scientific art. Recently having began a new procedure called Age-Regressions, I have been adding a unique approach to my Forensic Art Services by creating images of adopted children who struggle with the lack of childhood pictures. I take the facts associated with facial anatomy and aging and go backwards in time to create a rendering of the child at a younger age. This has been proven quite theraputic and is a brand new solution to an old ongoing problem in the adoption community. I have a Bachelors Degree in Art from San Francisco State University. Amongst other Law Enforcement POST training classes, I have received advanced forensic art schooling from the renowned Forensic Artist, Karen Taylor (author of Forensic Art and Illustration) and one-on-one intensive training from Gil Zamora (San Jose Police Department Forensic Artist).
Publications
Press
Testimonials"Melissa has become a great addition to OCI's support team as a forensic artist. She had made herself available at a moment's notice and adjusted her schedule to meet the needs of victims and detectives. Her work has been showcased in many bulletins and is a great investigative tool to have." "Melissa has many positive traits that make her a valuable asset to any investigation when a composite artist is beneficial. She is very calm and friendly, but also professional, when dealing with crime victims. Because she is able to put victims and witnesses at ease, she gets terrific results." |
Copyright © 2010 Melissa R. Cooper. All rights reserved.
