This painting by Wayne Cooper (1942-) came in with heavy dirt particulates across the surface from tar and nicotine, and also a tear in the middle of the canvas. Careful cleaning lifted the particulates, of which there were plenty, but the shift in color tones was not as dramatic as it sometimes can be. We’ve included a halfway cleaned shot where you can clearly see the difference, but the Cooper palette and its Western ruggedness proved to be both thematic and impervious to our cleaning efforts. It’s a stark, weathered landscape with a series of white doors drawing the eye from edge to edge. There is some in-fill we’ve done, also white, along the central building, which is where the tear was and is now where our patch has been sutured to. In-painting will conceal this area. Stay tuned for more…

Wayne Cooper was born in 1942 near Depew, Oklahoma. His talent was recognized at an early age, leading to intense training with Woody Crumbo, the Famous Artist School, Gary Artist League, Valparaiso University, the American Atelier in New York City and the Cowboy Artist of America Museum in Kerrville, Texas and with such well-known artists as Joe Beeler and Howard Terpning.

Cooper’s professional career started in 1964 in Chicago. He lived, painted and sculpted in New York City from 1974 to 1981. He returned to Oklahoma to paint and sculpt Western subjects. Wayne Cooper’s works are represented in collections throughout the world, both public and private. Many museums are proud to include his paintings and sculpture in their collections, including the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma; the Oklahoma Heritage Museum; and the American Indian Museum in Catoosa, Oklahoma. He has also been commissioned to do several large-scale oil paintings for the Senate in the Capitol Building in Oklahoma City.

Wayne Cooper Art Gallery

Wayne Cooper