Michael Coleman was born in Provo, Utah in 1946. As a landscapist and painter of Native Americans and mountain men, he paints in the tradition of the Rocky Mountain School.  He lives in Provo, Utah. 

Coleman received his formal education at Brigham Young University, but left when he felt he could make more progress on his own.  His artistic inspiration came from nineteenth-century painters—Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, and the animal painter, Carl Rungius.  His vision of nature came from years of hunting, fishing, and trapping.  His paintings feature rich colors in a combination of realism and atmospheric styles. 

Coleman’s career is unique because he is the first Utah artist to earn his living solely as an artist.  He is also the first Utah artist to be represented by Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction houses. 

In 1977, his work was exhibited at Cowboy Hall of Fame.  His work was also featured in a one-man show for the Kennedy Galleries in New York. Indian Camp (1991) and Rocky Mountain Goats (1995) are examples of his two-dimensional work.