John Coleman always heard about the good ol’ days when the CAA first formed in 1965 and held its first show at “The Hall” and he is proud to be part of this historical event being held there again. This has been an exciting time for John.

Last year John completed a six-year project comprised of a 10-piece series celebrating the works of Karl Bodmer and George Catlin called Explorer Artists: Bodmer/Catlin Series. This year he is creating a three-quarter life-size sculpture depicting Chief Black Moccasin as he greets Lewis and Clark. This story was conveyed 30 years later by George Catlin, who had also met and became well acquainted with Black Moccasin and his stories of Lewis and Clark. Using this account as inspiration for his new piece, The Greeter will make a perfect grand finale to the series. Although this piece will be unveiled at this year’s CAA show, the impetus for the sculpture came when John was invited to create a memorial relating to Catlin’s life. One of the castings of this sculpture will be installed at Catlin’s gravesite in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.

In 2010, John received the CA Silver Medal for Drawing and Other Media for his drawing Mr. Delegate. In 2009, John’s catalog piece The Game of Arrows won the Gold Medal and the Kieckhefer Award for Best of Show and the Kenneth and Eileen L. Norris Foundation Award for Sculpture at the 2010 Masters of the American West. His drawing Lives With Honor received the Gold medal at the 2009 CAA show.

John is especially proud to have a wonderful and generous patron donate a set of his Explorer Artists: Bodmer/Catlin Series to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s permanent collection.

John is a Fellow and Board Member of the National Sculpture Society and lives in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, Sue.