William T. Cooper

William Thomas Cooper

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 190-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 the National 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 illustrated Visions of a Rainforest by Stanley Breeden and Fruits of the Rainforest and Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest by Wendy Cooper. In 2011 he wrote and illustrated Capturing 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.

Sir

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 the Australian 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 in Topaz, Queensland, on 10 May 2015.^[6]

Illustrated Art works

Books illustrated by Cooper include:

• 1968 – A Portfolio of Australian Birds (text by Keith Hindwood)
• 1973 – Parrots of the World (text by Joseph Forshaw)
• 1975 – The Year of the Koala (text by H.D. Williamson)
• 1977 – The Birds of Paradise and Bower Birds (text by Joseph Forshaw)
• 1981 – Australian Parrots (2nd edition, text by Joseph Forshaw)
• 1983–1994 – Kingfishers and Related Birds
• 1993 – Visions of a Rainforest : A Year in Australia's Tropical Rainforest (text by Stanley Breeden)
• 1994 – Fruits of the Rainforest (text by Wendy Cooper)
• 1997 – Turacos: A Portfolio of All Species (text by Joseph Forshaw)
• 1998 – The Birds of Paradise: Paradisaeidae (text by Clifford Frith and Bruce Beehler)
• 2001 – Cockatoos: A Portfolio of All Species (text by Joseph Forshaw)
• 2002 – Turacos : A Natural History of the Musophagidae (text by Joseph Forshaw)
• 2002 – Australian Parrots (3rd [revised] edition, text by Joseph Forshaw)
• 2004 – Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest (text by Wendy Cooper)
• 2012 – Australian Rainforest Fruits - A Field Guide (text by Wendy Cooper)
• 2014 – An Eye For Nature - The Life and Art of William T. Cooper (Biography by
  Penny Olsen
  )
• 2015 – Pigeons and doves in Australia (text by Joseph Forshaw)

Books illustrated & written by Cooper include:

• 2012 – Capturing the Essence — Techniques for Bird Artists

Awards

• 1992 – awarded the Gold Medal of the Academy of Natural Sciences (USA) for distinction in natural history art
• 1994 – awarded the Order of Australia for contributions to art and ornithology

References