The artist Coyote was born in Seattle, Washington in 1965. Coyote is half native American, enrolled in the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, and half British Canadian.
At the beginning of the pandemic Coyote had an allergic reaction to prescribed medication. The allergic reaction caused anaphylactic shock and he died three times before he was fully revived.
This caused a traumatic brain injury that left him legally blind. He experiences his blindness as “looking through a sheet of wax paper” where he can see a blurry outline, but cannot see details like eyes or lips moving.
Since experiencing the phenomenon of dying and coming back to life he has found a new life exploring his passion for art. He can no longer read or write, but he discovered that he can still paint.
His paintings represent the will to survive.
Background & Influences
Coyote was born into the art world as the son of a curator. His father, Jim Halliday, was the founding director of the Sacred Circle Gallery of American Indian Art. He grew up meeting native artists, setting up the Pioneer Square gallery, and attending art shows.
This early exposure to great native american artists is the foundation that informs his work today. He’s influenced by artists like Allen Houser, Joe Feddersen, and Emmy Whitehorse, as well as the Japanese art of Sumi-e painting, which represents a sense of freedom. Coyote's father has said that the best art work is done by children, because it is uninhibited.
Coyote tries to bring both this freedom and inhibition to his work, considering each brush stroke as a lie detector test that can feel if it’s free or not.
He signs each painting with the name of his personal spirit helper, or temanwas, COYOTE - as the coyote is the survivor and so is he.
Coyote has a masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Montana (1996). He retired in 2020 as the Deputy Regional Director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Navajo Region and previously served as the Executive Operations Manager for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and the CEO of the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe.
Coyote is happily married to his beautiful wife Tobi, and has four children.