Two Amigos
Artwork Description
The dog family is well-represented in the natural world by many different species all over the world: Dingos in Australia; wild dogs and jackals in Africa; wolves in the north, Europe and parts of northern Asia; red wolves in the south; foxes of all kinds everywhere from the Pole to Japan; red fox, swift fox, gray fox, kit fox, Arctic fox…
But the most familiar to me is the coyote, because it is so easy to watch. On my hiking trips in the Greater Yellowstone area, in South Montana and North Wyoming, many of those nice predators crossed my path. It often didn’t bother them when I followed them and observed their behavior. Sometimes they were just happy to find so many mice. Sometimes I saw them just running through the landscape, probably denbound.
The few times that I saw a few together were the most unforgettable encounters. Since my first trip to North America, the colors of the West, with the pale grayish blue-green of the sagebrush, combined with the dry grasses of the meadows, have a special place in my heart. The coyote is so well camouflaged in such scenery, and I wanted to do him justice by making this little painting.
Coyotes can vary a lot in color and size, depending if one meets them in the East or in the West. Biologically, one could consider the coyote as a link between the fox and the wolf.
— Carl Brenders
