William T. Cooper - Biodiversity (Singapore)

William Thomas Cooper (6 April 1934 – 10 May 2015) was an Australian artist. William was born in Adamstown NSW Australia to Coral Bird and William Cooper. He was originally a self-taught landscape and seascape artist but renown through his natural history scientific paintings, especially of birds. Cooper also became a taxidermist in his teenage years.

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.

My wife and I met met “Bill” and his wife Wendy when we visited them in their home in the Atherton Tableland years back in 2010. They were helpful enough to bring us to a Golden Bower Bird site that was accessible that was filmed by David Attenborough. Amazing experience at the Bower Bird site and enjoyed an amazing coffee with the Coopers. An experience I will treasure always…

Below are some of his reprint works I bought over the years. When you don’t have deep pockets like a museum to commission a painting, giclee canvas reprints are the next best thing. If anyone is interested in purchasing his works, you can contact his wife at https://www.williamtcooper.com.au/ .

Artwork

**Title: “Cassowary”**
**Copyright by William T Cooper**

**Title: “Lesser Birds of Paradise”**
**Copyright by William T Cooper**

**Title: “Enticement”**
**Copyright by William T Cooper**

To commemorate the 5th International Hornbill Conference, William T. Cooper was been commissioned to paint the Oriental Pied Hornbill. All proceeds from the sale of these reprints went to the Singapore Hornbill Project.