Colette, the founder and vibrant personality behind Painted Coyote Creations, has been immersed in the world of art since her earliest memories. Growing up, she found inspiration in the diverse personalities and passions of her family members: her father’s rugged mountainman lifestyle, her mother’s love of colors, her grandmother’s deep connection to the West, and her uncle’s love and appreciation of fantasy and imagination.

These influences blended together and served to shape Colette’s artistic expression fueling her creative fire. However, it was the sudden loss of her father in 2020 that served as a catalyst for her artistic journey. Struggling to navigate the tumultuous waves of grief, Colette found comfort through art. She picked up a rotary tool and started to carve for the first time.

In the wake of her father’s passing, Painted Coyote Creations emerged from the depths of her pain, a testament to resilience and the healing power of creativity. Within mere months of carving her first pieces, Colette’s passion blossomed into a thriving business, becoming a way to educate the public about nature and repurposing what often goes to waste in natural materials.
As the face of Painted Coyote Creations, Colette embraces her multifaceted identity with unwavering enthusiasm. She is not just an artist, but also a devoted parent, a wanderer of nature’s untamed beauty, and a relentless seeker of knowledge. Refusing to be confined by limitations, she tackles challenges head-on, embracing each opportunity for growth and learning.

While her formal education may have ended in grade school, Colette’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of experience and self-directed learning. Through her business, she has learned the intricacies of marketing, accounting, and business management, fueled by an insatiable curiosity and a relentless drive for excellence.

For Colette, life is a canvas waiting to be painted with bold strokes of passion and purpose. With each creation, she not only honors the memory of her father but also celebrates the boundless possibilities that emerge when one dares to embrace the unknown and pursue what makes the heart sing.

“Honestly, for any one person there’s too much to say that a tiny biography can cover. I’m an artist, a parent, a child, a hiker, a gamer, so much. I love nature in all of it’s unrelenting beauty, and I absolutely love being able to throw myself into the fray when it comes to running my business. I don’t let the phrase ‘I don’t know’ rule my life. In fact, it’s a challenge that I make sure I face head on and therefore I’ve become a jack of all trades who isn’t prepared to stop learning. While my life doesn’t involve a lot of education beyond grade school, it does involve experience. I’ve learned marketing, accounting, business management, and more from my own business and from consistent research.
The one thing I have learned throughout everything is that you are awesome if you’re willing to be awesome. I am confident enough to say that I am awesome and I make awesome art.”