When I watched the process of the Deer return to the earth, one of the things I noticed is how the body moved. Animals came, interacted with the body and scavenged. The animal that most likely did this was the Coyote.

Two years ago we moved onto a 10 acre (former) Christmas tree farm, and to our surprise, with the land came quite a few coyote. We have spent many nights listening to their howls, coming from every direction of our back yard—a true cacophony. Coyote aren’t a rare thing, I believe there are quite a few roaming the streets all over. But this is the first time I have had the opportunity to get up close and personal with these animals. I don’t see them often during the day, just evidence of their existence—a bone, feathers, a chewed on beer can or bottle of vodka, and, well, you know what else dogs leave. In one of their areas I found a chewed on coyote skull, and I thought it was an interesting example of life and death. A reminder of what comes and goes. How brutal life is. And also, returning to the earth, and how the living help the process along. And also a mirror of the future and the past.

This piece is made out of my grandmother’s crushed jewelry, handmade watercolor, and quite a lot of 24k gold leaf. It is painted on a 30’’x30’’ panel, and it is framed and ready to hang on your wall.