Wyoming Artist Bob Coronato Paints “Trump Train” On Fire …

HULETT – Bob Coronato already has one thought-provoking image at the Smithsonian. It features the Native American opponent, Russell Means, wrapped in a flag above, an international symbol of suffering.

Now, after a long hiatus, the Wyoming artist is looking to paint another historic portrait that he believes may one day join Means in the annals of history.

He hopes to create a portrait of Donald Trump’s presidency – if the Republican candidate wins the 2024 presidential campaign.

“I’m known for painting historical figures,” Coronato told Cowboy State Daily. “And the image of Trump is going to be a historic figure, regardless of your politics. As Russell Says, it’s as historic as it gets. I can’t think of a more famous person in history right now .”

Therefore, Coronato is in the midst of his own mini-campaign this presidential election year.

He has painted six Trump campaign posters, one of which he hopes to show Trump when he appears in Jackson for a private fundraiser this week.

If the reaction of those attending the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is any indication, Coronato is onto something.

He had one of the 5-foot-wide paintings displayed in his shop, Rogue’s Gallery, and it was all the rage on Wednesday during the Hulett Ham and Jam.

Flocks of Sturgis visitors who visited Hulett crowded into Coronato’s store to view the unique treasures of Western history that took her a lifetime to find. But the showstopper was the new image.

It shows Trump riding a patriotic train, with the slogan, “Back on Track,” below the large image, and “Train Train USA” above it.

“The response I get here is that everybody is crazy about this,” Coronato told Cowboy State Daily, shaking his head in disbelief. “It stops people in their tracks. I mean they stop dying and they’re like ‘OMG, that’s the best thing I’ve ever seen. You need to see this. Trump needs to see this.’ Then they go in front of it to take their photos with it. ”

‘Faster Than A Speeding Bullet’

Coronato had his newest paint job displayed on about 2,000 shirts for the Sturgis convention, which is still ongoing. Some of them were distributed to gas stations throughout the seven counties, as well as at the convention itself, and others were sold directly at his store.

The gas station T-shirts sold out within days, Coronato said. But they quickly sold out at his store. In fact, they sold out even faster than the pulled pork at the center of the Hulett Ham and Jam event.

The free pork starts at noon on Wednesday, and is usually over before 3 p.m., but Coronato was selling his last Trump Train T-shirt of the day 10 minutes after during the day.

Just as Coronato handed out the last “Trump Train” t-shirt to an ardent Trump fan, his brother Tom walked into the store to tell Coronato that his shirt had just made national television that morning.

A woman proudly wearing her “Trail Train” shirt was seen in a clip of “Fox & Friends,” where Trump answered several questions from Sturgis rallygoers.

In the video, Trump promised to attend the 85th anniversary next year, drawing an enthusiastic crowd.

The woman in the video was in the foreground. His shirt and smiling face often flashed across the screen throughout the 7-minute, 34-minute clip.

Coronato has given all his T-shirts a little tagline that the paint is missing, which may be part of the popularity. It says, “Faster than a speeding bullet,” referring to the failed assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania last month.

“The assassination attempt didn’t happen, so it’s not part of the picture,” Coronato explained. But I will put it in any future versions.

Coronato has six full-size portraits of him standing in the wings, each with a different slogan.

In addition to “Back on Track,” there are “That’s The Ticket,” “Get on the Ship,” “Full Speed ​​​​​​​​Ahead,” “America First Again” and “America Great Again.”

Turning the Corner

One of Coronato’s reasons for wanting to do a Trump portrait is history, but another is admiration.

“I always say I’m not going to screw it up,” Coronato said. “There are a lot of artists who can take a job and do something like put hidden messages in a picture. That’s happened before. But I would take it seriously, because he’s been one of the presidents of best in my life. So, I’ll be happy to do it.”

Coronato hasn’t painted in the last seven years, he told Cowboy State Daily. Mainly because he felt that his hands were not steady enough to do the job according to his proper standards.

“We all want the country to get back on track,” Coronato said. “So, I finally got over this, and I think this would have gotten me out of that completely.”

The painting technique that Coronato used for his new work is known as Pittura Di Strati. The literal translation of the word is “the image of a layer.” It is about placing different media, in this case, acrylic screen, oil and silk.

Coronato has used this technique many times over the years, especially in his popular and highly collectible rodeo advertisements. It allows him to change future images with different slogans or new additions – especially useful for something like a rodeo or a campaign poster.

Millions of Campaign Dollars

His Pittura Di Strati paintings can take up to six months of continuous work to create, Coronato said, which is one reason he doesn’t do many of them anymore.

“The idea of ​​being locked in my house for six months is not as fun as it was when I was in my 20s,” he told Cowboy State Daily with a laugh.

But, after finishing Trump’s pictures in a record 2 ½ months, Coronato has a few ideas to improve his technique. He also has an idea for a rodeo poster painting to do for the College National Finals Rodeo.

“I’ve been promising for years to do another rodeo picture,” he said. “And I think I’m about to do that. I was asked to do the NFR, and maybe I will.” so.”

In the meantime, Coronato is focusing on current images, which he believes can help Trump on the campaign trail.

“All the T-shirts and metal cans that we sold were spread across the Midwest in seven different locations, and they sold out in a matter of days,” Coronato said. “It’s just grazing for a piece of the pie. If the Trump campaign could do this to itself, it’s talking about millions of dollars in campaign finance. They could blast a tweet and it would go coast to coast. I will not.”

Whether the Trump campaign ends up liking Coronato’s poster idea, the artist feels that he has strayed from his work and created one of his best images.

It’s like the ‘I Want You’ Uncle Sam posters. I think it’s that good,” he said. Pointing to the darkness pouring over the rail, he added, “And I have a shadow right here, so it looks like this thing is coming to you right, from the page.

Contact Renee Jean at renee@cowboystatedaily.com

Renee Jean can be achieved at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.