"The Watcher" Coyote Fine Art Painting by Rebecca Zook

“The Watcher”

A survivor, coyote is always watching. Loved and hated by man, he must be clever to find ways to survive in his changing world. Curiosity leads to opportunity. Opportunities he cannot afford to lose. Coyote is more though. He still finds joy in the face of adversity, dancing and singing in the moonlight.

If I have an animal totem, it would be the coyote; encountering them at sporadic points in my life that left me in awe. As a young child, we traveled from Texas to California with a travel trailer one summer, stopping at roadside attractions along the way. I remember being at the edge of the wild desert and feeling eyes on me. I turned to see a coyote. We stood facing each other, but I did not feel threatened. I was mesmerized. I turned back around to show my Dad, but the coyote had vanished leaving a lasting impression that is still vivid in my mind. As a teenager I was driving home late at night and spied a coyote following the railroad tracks in the the middle of suburbia. With no one around, I stopped the car. He stopped trotting and once again we were face-to-face, studying one another, until he slowly turned to continue down the lonely tracks finally fading from view. This time my awe was tinged with sadness thinking about his displacement from ancestral ranges by humans. There were additional solitary sightings, just me and him, over the years where I saw his swiftness, strength and sleek beauty. I had a coyote take up residence under our home one winter. I will forever see the coyote as a survivor. In a way, that is also how I see myself.

12"x12" | Acrylic on Masonite | $449 unframed

Can be purchased through Dutch Art Gallery 10233 Northwest Hwy #420, Dallas, TX 75238

(214) 348-7350

More of Rebecca's Work can be viewed on her website at rebeccazook.com

or follow along as she posts work in progress at facebook.com/RebeccaZookFineArtPaintings