One day this coyote ran into our backyard. Grabbing my camera I snapped off several great shots before he escaped into another backyard searching for rabbit. At the time I was between two big commissioned portraits and thought I would do a painting of him before going into the next project. 

I love painting people, expressing who they are on canvas. I especially like discovering the unique God-given personality of each person. This coyote was no different; I was simply painting a portrait with fur. I love painting fur. What excited me, this is the first coyote I have done. And I love how he came out. I used to create in a very painterly style but have gone more toward realism the past few years. However, a painterly approach is helpful in developing great fur. I actually do a lot of abstract expressionism in the portrait backgrounds.

Part of my process involves research. Researching coyotes I discovered the adaptability of this cunning animal. They are often alone on a hunt but also hunt in a pack. Like most wild animals they are always looking for the next meal. Little ones are raised by the whole pack where the alpha female, mom, may go off for her own hunt. Aunts stay behind guarding the young. They also do well living around people; our community has a pack who keep our rabbit population down. So, when I go into my backyard, I’m now on the lookout for more coyotes.