Michael Coleman

In his paintings, Michael Coleman demonstrates his intimate knowledge of landscapes and animals. He studied animal anatomy at a young age while trapping and skinning wildlife. Coleman began his undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University, Salt Lake City. His resistance of the trend toward abstraction and his pursuit of realistic portrayals of landscapes caused him frustration in school and provoked disapproval from his professors. He eventually left BYU and taught himself to paint, studying paintings from the Hudson River School, in particular works by Thomas Moran and Alfred Bierstadt. Today, a successful painter and etcher of wildlife and Plains Indians subjects, he produces approximately 25 images per year.

An avid sportsman, Coleman has hunted throughout North America, Africa, Europe, and New Zealand. Through photographing and sketching animals and keeping meticulous notes, he continues to closely observe movements, attitudes, colorings, and markings of wildlife. Coleman uses these documentations to compose his canvases, which he executes primarily in gouache, a demanding water based medium that requires precision. His use of contrasting colors, luminary tones, and symmetrical compositions results in striking depictions of his subject matter. The details, textures, and lighting allow the viewer a sense of reality.

Coleman's work has been exhibited at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, the German Hunting and Fishing Museum in Munich, as well as the National Museum of Wildlife Art, which permanently houses eight of his paintings and three of his bronzes.