William T. Cooper | |
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| Born | William Thomas Cooper (1934-04-06)6 April 1934 Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 10 May 2015(2015-05-10) (aged 81) Malanda, Queensland, Australia |
| Education | Newcastle Boys' High School |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Years active | 1964–2015 |
| Known for | Internationally acclaimed bird artist who paints birds and wildlife in Australia and Papua New Guinea |
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| Children | Darryl Cooper |
| Awards | AO (1994) Gold Medal of theAcademy of Natural Sciences (USA) for distinction in natural history art 1992, Honorary Doctorate Australian National University 2015 |
| Website | www |
| Notes | |
William Thomas CooperAO (6 April 1934 – 10 May 2015) was an Australianartist. William was born in Adamstown NSW Australia to Coral Bird and William Cooper. He had one brother, Buddy Cooper. He was originally a self-taught landscape and seascape artist but achieved renown throughnatural history scientific paintings, especially of birds. Cooper also became a taxidermist in his teenage years.
The first book for which Cooper supplied the paintings wasPortfolio of Australian Birds, written byKeith Hindwood in 1967. Later, he illustratedParrots of the World,Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds,Australian Parrots,Kingfishers and Related Birds,The Cockatoos (a Portfolio of all Species),Turacos (a Portfolio of all Species) and " Pigeons and Doves in Australia" all authored byJoseph Forshaw.
In 1992 the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, presented Cooper with its gold medal for "artistic endeavors and life's work which have contributed to mankind's better understanding and appreciation of living things". He was the first Australian recipient in the academy's 180-year history. Then, in 1994, Cooper was awarded the Order of Australia (AO) for his contribution to art and natural history.[4]
Cooper's work is held in many collections and institutions around the world, including theNational Library of Australia and the State Library of New South Wales. Papua New Guinea's government purchased the entire collection from Birds of Paradise and Bowerbirds and commissioned from him two sets of postage stamps. He also illustratedVisions of a Rainforest by Stanley Breeden andFruits of the Rainforest and Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest by Wendy Cooper. In 2011 he wrote and illustratedCapturing the Essence, a book that illustrates and describes techniques for artists.
The hard-won knowledge of his subjects which Cooper acquired is evident in his paintings, which display extreme precision, and he usually insisted on painting the birds in their distinct natural environments, down to the exact foods they eat. Preferring to draw from life, rather than depending on photographs as the main source of material for his work, he would often venture into wild, untamed parts of the world to capture the exact display of the birds he painted. He lived with his wife, Wendy Cooper, a self-taught botanist who has authored four substantial books, in north Queensland where his studio was surrounded by tropical rainforest.
SirDavid Attenborough described Cooper as "Australia's greatest living scientific painter of birds; he is possibly the best in the world". In 1993, Sir David made a film about Cooper, calledPortrait Painter to the Birds. A biography,An Eye For Nature — The Life and Art of William T. Cooper, written byPenny Olsen and published by TheNational Library of Australia, was launched in February 2014. Olsen described Cooper as "one of the finest bird illustrators ever."[5]
William Cooper was married three times, first to Marie MacEnearney and then Robyn MacIntosh and finally Wendy Elizabeth Price. In December 2014, Cooper and his wife Wendy both received Honorary Doctorates from theAustralian National University: Bill for his contributions at the intersection between art and science, and Wendy for her botanical research.[5] Cooper died at his home inTopaz, Queensland, on 10 May 2015.[6]
Books illustrated by Cooper include:
Books illustrated & written by Cooper include:
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