
John Coleman (1949- )
John Coleman was born in Southern California and began his early art studies at the Art Center for Design in Los Angeles. Sculpting full time since 1994, John was voted into professional membership of The National Sculpture Society of New York in 1999.
John was brought into the Cowboy Artist of America in October, 2001, and is a fellow member of the National Sculpture Society. He usually has six or seven works-in-progress at any one time and will introduce four to five new editions each year.
John Coleman is one of the leading western artists today who can portray the historical nature and mythology of western subjects. John Coleman’s bronze sculptures are among some of the most detailed and most accurate depictions of American Western legend and history that are being produced today.
Kokopelli is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player (often with feathers or antenna-like protrusions on his head), who has been venerated by some Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States. Like most fertility deities, Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture. He is also a trickster god and represents the spirit of music.
The legend of Kokopelli is well-preserved in ancient rock carvings and paintings dating back as far as 3,000 years. His legend however, is no less popular today – having survived more than one hundred generations.Carvings of this hunch-backed flute-playing figure have been found painted and carved into rock walls and boulders throughout the Southwest.