President Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick, OT
by Mike Wimmer
In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Frederick and Lawton, Oklahoma at the invitation of Burk Burnett who had large land holdings in Texas and Oklahoma Territory. The purpose of the visit was to influence Pres. Roosevelt to consider statehood for Oklahoma Territory.
Knowing his love for the great outdoors, Roosevelt was offered an opportunity to hunt wolves and coyotes with Jack (Catch 'em Alive) Abernathy. The painting depicts a camp scene after a day's hunt. Chief Quannah Parker came down from Lawton and joined the party for two days. After returning to the nation's Capitol, Roosevelt was influential in creating the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge and in 1907 signed the proclamation creating the State of Oklahoma.
President Theodore Roosevelt, Frederick, OT by Mike Wimmer was dedicated on February 14, 2000. The commission was managed by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. The painting is located outside the Oklahoma State Senate lounge on the fourth floor of the Oklahoma State Capitol and can be viewed daily from 8:30-5:30 when the Senate is not in session.
The Artist
Born
and raised in Muskogee, Oklahoma, Mike Wimmer began his career as
an artist during the seventh grade. He earned his B.F.A. from the University
of Oklahoma, where he met Don Ivan Punchatz. Wimmer later moved to
Arlington, Texas to be Punchatz apprentice at Punchatz famous Sketch
Pad Studio. Wimmer learned valuable knowledge regarding the
business aspect of illustrating as well as various painting techniques
and the working methods of the local Dallas illustrators. After his two and a half year apprenticeship, he moved back to Norman, Oklahoma and
set up his own studio using all that he had learned in Texas. Since
then Wimmer has become very successful illustrating children’s
books such as “Flight: The Journey of Charles Lindbergh” by
Robert Burliegh which was the winner of
the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children in 1990. He also illustrated “All the Places to Love” by Patricia MacLachlan which
was published in 1994 and won the Oklahoma Book Award
for Best Illustrated Children’s Book 1995. Wimmer’s latest
book, “Will Rogers” by Former Governor Frank Keating, was
published in 2002 and has won the 2003 Spur Award from the Western
Writers Association of America. Even though Wimmer has worked for some
of the largest corporations in the world including Disney and Procter
and Gamble, Wimmer finds the greatest artistic pleasure within his
creation of fine art.