Oklahoma's Own Artist Charles Banks Wilson Dies At 94

 Oklahoma's Own artist Charles Banks Wilson died Thursday at age 94. His art remains a part of Oklahoma history in the capitol itself - as the creator of the murals that line the capitol dome.

He also painted the portraits of the famous Oklahomans that hang there.

"That was the great good fortune of my life was coming from Oklahoma," Charles Banks Wilson told Terry Hood in 2008. "I had the cowboys, the Indians, the farmers, miners. Everything. The only thing we didn't have were the hills and mountains. But, if I wanted to get on a hill, I'd get on a chat pile."

5/9/2008 Related Story:Charles Banks Wilson: An Oklahoma Original

Gilcrease Museum boasts a large collection of his work.

Of all his paintings, one of his favorites is the portrait of great Cherokee educator Sequoyah. That portrait now hangs in the rotunda of the state capitol. In the background are a little cabin and a meandering path where Charles Banks Wilson can picture a truth of his own.

"I've always said if something happened to me and I wasn't around come down there and I probably will come out from those bushes. Can't you imagine that I could make that journey very peacefully?" said Charles Banks Wilson.

Charles Banks Wilson grew up in Miami, Oklahoma, and he will be buried there. Funeral services are set for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, 2013, at the First Presbyterian Church of Miami. Burial will be at the GAR Cemetery in Miami under the direction of the Paul Thomas Funeral Home.

A visitation for family and friends is from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 6, also at First Presbyterian.