What a clever piece of original art from a collectible artist. This is an original watercolor work of art by Wayne Cooper, a listed American artist. (See the bio info I found below) The piece is an amazing depiction of a portion of a barn with various natural and man made items emerging from a snow storm. The piece was composed to show the beauty of that storm by silhouetting the pieces to emerge from a white textured background. Snow flakes cover the items as well. Included in the imagery is a small segment of the barn, a partially obscured tree with a hatchet in the trunk, a wood box and domed lid trunk and a tree stump with a wood basket. These items are presented in watercolor. A textured white coating is brushed over the entire setting. You can almost feel the snow falling! A striking composition with excellent technique. It is signed in the lower right, -Wayne Cooper 71-. The piece is behind glass and has a simple tan mat inside the brown wood frame. There is a olive green inner paint trim on the frame as well.

I am very comfortable that it is not a print. The painting is in excellent condition, I believe it was behind glass since completion. The frame has a very 1970s vibe and has a slim profile with oak trim and a painted green outside rim. There are some usage scratches and slight nicks on the surface of the frame. It is in very nice vintage condition otherwise. The back has brown finishing paper and there is a hanging wire. It is moderately heavy. (3 pounds)

This piece is an iconic rural Americana scene from a listed American artist. It was appraised at $1,500 - $2,000. Be still my heart!

Wayne Cooper
American Artist
(1942 - )
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. Wayne 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. Wayne Cooper has also been commissioned to do several large-scale oil paintings for the Senate in the Capitol Building in Oklahoma City.

Publications include: Who's Who in the Mid-West, Who's Who in American Art, Dictionary of Biographies, International Who's Who in Art and Antiques, Dictionary of International Biographies, Universal Directory of the Arts and Personalities of the Americans. Also paintings in such publications as Art Treasures of the Oklahoma State Capitol, Historic Tulsa, When Indians Become Cowboys, Oklahoma Our Home (the new Oklahoma History school book), and a new book put out by the Historical Society.

Dimensions

Painting image - 10 1/4" x 12 3/4"
As framed - 15 1/4" x 17 1/2" x 1"