Michael Coleman was born and raised in Provo, Utah and spent his boyhood hunting, fishing and trapping throughout the Rocky Mountains, often taking a sketchbook with him. Early on, he decided on a career in art, and traveled broadly for subject matter.
Coleman quickly became a prominent Southwestern artist when in 1978, at the age of 32, he was given his first retrospective at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. He exhibited at the National Academy of Western Art and at Kennedy Galleries in New York. Then, in 1999, he won the Prix de West Award at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame for his bronze of a moose titled “September,” which work has joined the permanent collection of the Hall of Fame.
He paints primarily in oil on board or gouache, but his work also includes bronzes. His style is greatly influenced by many of the key early 19th century masters of the Hudson River School, such as Henry Farny, Thomas Moran and George Inness, and the 20th century animal painter, Carl Rungius.
His paintings are rich in detail and muted in tone, true to the remote landscapes he chooses to illustrate. The Indian encampments, wildlife and hunting subjects portrayed against these magnificent areas are rendered in such a way as to give the viewer a sense of gazing on the past.
Coleman loves best the dusky-grey, misty, muted tones of fall and early winter and is known for his landscapes of rich colors and detail. He combines realism and atmospheric styles, often with animals depicted in those autumn settings when they are in their prime, but his pieces always suggest a balanced harmony between artist, animal, and nature.
Coleman’s works can be found in the private and public collections of Clint Eastwood, Ian Cumming, John Huntsman, Stan Kamen, President George Bush, Sr., Vice-President Dick Cheney, the Corning Museum, the Anschutz Collection, the National Wildlife Art Museum, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the Canadian Embassy, and the National Museum of Dubai, just to name a few.
Born: June 25, 1946, Provo, Utah
Education: Brigham Young University
Selected Exhibitions, Honors, and Awards:
- 2014 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2014 Briscoe Western Art Museum Night of Artists, San Antonio, Texas
- 2013 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2013 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2013 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2012 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2012 Briscoe Western Art Museum Night of Artists, San Antonio, Texas
- 2012 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2012 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2011 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2011 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2011 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2010 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2010 Briscoe Western Art Museum Night of Artists, San Antonio, Texas
- 2010 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2010 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2009 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2009 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2009 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2008 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2008 Birds in Art, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin
- 2008 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2008 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2008 One-man show, Legacy Gallery, Jackson, Wyoming
- 2007 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2007 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2007 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2007 The Paintings of Yellowstone: A Retrospective Show, Montana Trails Gallery, Bozeman, Montana
- 2006 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2006 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2006 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2005 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2005 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2005 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2004 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2004 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2004 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2003 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2003 Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 2003 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2003 Governor’s Mansion Artist, Salt Lake City, Utah
- 2002 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2002 Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Los Angeles, California
- 2002 Most Honored Artists of Utah-Olympic Curatorial Committee
- 2001 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 2000 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 1999 Buffalo Bill Show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 1999 Prix de West Award, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 1996 One-man show, National Hunting Museum, Munich, Germany
- 1993 National Academy of Western Art, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Gold Medal Award (Watercolor)
- 1992 National Academy of Western Art, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Silver Medal Award (Oil)
- 1992 International Wildlife Exposition, Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1992 Hubbard Award for Excellence
- 1992 International Exhibition of Wildlife and Natural History
- 1991 Hubbard Award for Excellence
- 1989 One-man show, J.N. Bartfield Gallery, New York
- 1988 One-man show, J.N. Bartfield Gallery, New York
- 1986 One-man show, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- 1985 One-man show, Wunderlich & Co., New York
- 1985 One-man show, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- 1984 Museum of Western Art, Denver
- 1984 One-man show, Wunderlich & Co., New York
- 1983 Mongerson Gallery, Chicago
- 1983 Charlie Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana
- 1981 Palm Springs Museum, Palm Springs, California
- 1979 Gold & Silver Medal, Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 1979 One-man show, Kennedy Galleries, New York
- 1977 One-man show, Kennedy Galleries, New York
- 1977 One-man show, Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- 1976 One-man show, Kennedy Galleries, New York
Private and Public Collections:
- The White House, Washington, D.C.
- National Museum of Dubai
- NuSkin International, Provo, Utah
- Gulf States Paper Corporation, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Texas Commerce Bank, Houston
- Anschutz Collection, Denver
- Corning Museum, New York
- Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming
- Charlie Russell Museum, Great Falls, Montana
- William Middendorf, Washington, D.C.
- Mack Pogue, Dallas
- Sports Afield Magazine, New York
- Burt Reynolds, Los Angeles
- Hal Wallace, Los Angeles
- Clint Eastwood, Carmel
- Los Angeles Athletic Club, Los Angeles
- Steven L. Rose, Los Angeles
- Stan Kamen, Los Angeles
- National Wildlife Art Museum, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
- Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, Missouri
- Bill Kerr, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
- Ian Cumming, Leucadia Corporation, Salt Lake City
- John Huntsman, Huntsman Chemical Company, Salt Lake City
- Canadian Embassy
- Leaning Tree Museum, Colorado
- Long Grass Prairie Preserve, Oklahoma
- Wells Fargo, Provo, Utah
- Thomas S. Monson, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Christopher Forbes
Commissions:
- 1995 National Wildlife Art Museum, Jackson, Wyoming
- 1985 Boone and Crockett Club, Brown Bear Conservation Stamp
- 1986 Alaskan Professional Hunters Association, Grizzly Stamp
- 1987 Alaskan Professional Hunters Association
- Hyatt Regency, Aspen, Colorado
- Leaning Tree Museum, Colorado
Films:
- The Romantic Western Landscape of Michael Coleman, Ian Mandan producer
Bibliography:
- 2012 The Ties That Bind, Western Art & Architecture, Feb/Mar by Laura Zuckerman
- 2009 A Wing and A Prayer, Western Art Collector, July
- 2009 Under Eagles’ Wings: The Art of Michael Coleman, Peter H. Hassrick, published by Coleman Studios.
- 2008 A Family of Art: The Colemans, Western Art Collector, July
- 2008 Illuminations: Michael Coleman, Western Art & Architecture, Summer/Fall
- 2003 New Horizons, Michael Coleman Pushes His Envelope, by Rebecca H. Rowland, Wildlife Art, March/April
- 2002 Drawn to Yellowstone: Artists in America’s First National Park, Peter H. Hassrick, Autry Museum of Western Heritage in association with University of Washington Press
- 1999 Masters for the new Millenium (The Important and Enduring Work of America’s Twelve Most Compelling Artists), Art of the West, November/December (12th Anniversary Issue)
- 1998 Artists to Watch in ‘99, U.S. Art, December
- 1996 Salt Lake City, November/December
- 1995 Southwest Art, Commemorative Edition Covering The West: The Best of Southwest Art, July
- 1992 Art of the West, March/April
- 1992 Salt Lake City, January
- 1990 WildLife Art, November/December
- 1990 Top Ten Investments For the 90’s, USA Today
- 1988 Sporting Classics, May/June
- 1987 Southwest Art, November
- 1987 Sports Afield, October
- 1985 Grays Sporting Journal, Summer
- 1984 American Way, May
- 1984 Sports Afield, July
- 1984 Southwest Art, January – Cover
- 1983 Sports Afield, April
- 1978 Rocky Mountain Magazine
- 1977 Southwest Art, February
- 1976 Ten American Landscape Artists and How They Work, edited by Susan Meyer, published by Watson Guptill
- 1975 American Artist, January, Western Art
Gallery Representations:
- Legacy Galleries, Jackson, Wyoming
- J.N. Bartfield Galleries, New York, New York
- Owings Gallery, Sante Fe, New Mexico
Limited Edition Publisher:
- Coleman Studios, LLC, 2822 Rolling Knolls Drive, Provo, UT 84604, 801-225-5766
Other Projects:
- Coleman & Davis Artisan Chocolate LLC, 117 N University Ave., Provo, UT 84601, 801-900-4061 www.colemananddavis.com
- Taste by C&D, 117 N University Ave., Provo, UT 84601, 801-900-4061 www.havetaste.com
Information taken from: www.colemanart.com