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The Art of Markus Pierson
“I looked a Coyote right in the face, on the road to
Baljennie near my old home town . . . he had those same eyes
– just like yours, under your dark glasses” –
Joni Mitchell, “Coyote”
by Julianna Arnim
For twenty years, Markus Pierson has painted and sculpted a
series of subjects he playfully calls “dogs in suits.”
His coyote series has garnered both critical acclaim and vast
popularity across the world throughout its two-decade evolution.
Pierson, who began painting after a brush with death in the
mid-eighties, was inspired by the Joni Mitchell song “Coyote,”
which led him to adopt these “dogs in suits” as
spokespeople for the ebb and flow of the human condition.
Barely making ends meet as a billboard artist in 1986, Pierson
unwittingly reached a turning point in his artistic career.
Pierson says of this time:
I was so poor, in fact, that I couldn’t even afford a
shower curtain to serve as a wedding present for two good friends
who were getting married in the Southwest. I figured they might
like one of my coyote drawings so I did a romantic one and took
it there – the people at the wedding went nuts! Well,
you know how these things go – somebody knew somebody
who knew somebody in the art business, and within a year my
art was being sold in over a hundred art galleries across the
country.
A unique genre of work was born, and Pierson’s coyotes
won the hearts of an ever-growing audience.
What makes Pierson’s coyotes such successful subjects
is his ability to craft them as utterly human in terms of emotional
range; through their plights and celebrations, loves and losses,
the artist paints a panoply of images that laud life for exactly
what it is. Pierson remarks that his favorite thing about the
coyotes is that “They celebrate life.” He elaborates,
“Sometimes life kicks them around, but they embrace it
just the same. Heartaches, bad breaks, job problems, job triumphs,
true love, rotten luck, vast fortune. Good or bad, they celebrate.
I like that.” This sense of embodying and exonerating
life with all its sorrows and exaltations is Pierson’s
underlying signature.
No matter what the context, the coyotes share certain qualities
imbued with Pierson’s personal iconography. Among these
symbols are the coyotes’ sunglasses, which protect their
anonymity and disallow viewers to see clearly into their souls;
blue coyotes, whose hearts have been broken; big hands, which
express emotions; and lilies, the icons of love.
In Sweet Intoxication, the coyote relaxing in his rose-colored
chair sits calmly grasping a glass of red wine while his flowing
tie – Pierson’s symbol of the free spirit –
rests lazily over the chair’s arm, intimating that his
spirit is somewhat tamed but still intact. The words in the
painting, written by Pierson, express the love of a woman who,
like the wine, provides solace to the coyote in moments of lassitude.
A Renaissance, which celebrates the ability to regenerate one’s
life from the depths of sorrow, also obliquely recognizes women
as guiding and supportive forces in man’s (coyote’s)
life. Although the focus of the painting is the blue coyote,
blindfolded to represent how blind faith will guide him out
of life’s pitfalls and into a spiritual rebirth, he is
urged towards this renaissance by a barrage of female coyote
angels. With their gentle guidance and a willfulness to blindly
follow his heart, this coyote is destined for an ultimate reemergence
into a better life spun from his own innate wisdom. The moon,
which for Pierson symbolizes wisdom, hangs over the entire scene
as the source of this realization.
Female coyotes always play strong roles in Pierson’s
work. Though they are not meant to overshadow male coyotes,
they represent strength, guidance, and support throughout many
of the artist’s series. Female coyotes are always taller
than male coyotes, which serves a dual function; fundamentally,
it creates an artistic visual balance to the stockiness of the
males, and symbolically, it represents the equality between
men and women. Pierson’s world has been heavily influenced
by women, namely his mother, sister and wife. The untimely deaths
of his mother and sister are the catalysts for his growth as
an artist, and his devotion to his wife influences the emotional
subjects of his work.
Pierson’s painting High exemplifies these techniques
of female representation and their personal meaning to the artist.
Two coyote lovers sit perched in a tree amongst the whimsical
words,
TWO COYOTES WE, AS NOVEMBER COMES UPON US, THE HOLIDAYS SOON
AFTER, THEN APRIL, SUMMER JUST AROUND THE CORNER, THEN THE LEAVES
CHANGE AND HERE WE ARE ONCE AGAIN, TROUBLE LURKS, MY DEAR, OUR
FUTURE UNCERTAIN, JUST AS ALWAYS, BUT RIGHT NOW WE TWO SHARE
THE SKY, JUST HIGH, SO HIGH.
The message here, so eloquently displayed in poetry and paint,
is one of love that lasts through the seasons literally and
metaphorically. Throughout the coming years and their trepidations,
love remains as strong as ever. The two coyotes, positioned
with drollness and wearing coy smiles, are confident that their
love, just as it is now, will see them through the undulating
moments of joy and sorrow inherent to all coyote-kind.
How is it that Markus Pierson enables us to identify so strongly
with his “dogs in suits”? His gift to translate
humanity to an animal subject is truly remarkable. As collector
Elizabeth Harrison puts it, “[the coyotes] are inspirational.
In a strange way [they] are empowering in the way that their
fictional lives mirror your own life experiences . . . who other
than Markus Pierson can make you relate to a coyote floating
around in a dinghy outside Paris waxing poetic about his life’s
journey? And not only do you relate, but you are also affected
and motivated.”
Pierson’s work is widely collected. His enthusiasts include
Oliver Stone, Ozzy Osborne, John Cleese, billionaire Sam Zell,
and the American Ambassador to Argentina. This popularity is
undoubtedly due to the universal and humanistic appeal of his
coyote subjects, who battle and celebrate the same tides of
life as do we all.
In his 2005 exhibition Know Limit, Pierson included a statement
that plainly yet profoundly articulates why viewers relate so
strongly to his subjects. Using the voice of the coyote, he
writes:
I AM COYOTE. I AM BLACK, I AM WHITE, I AM TAN, I AM RED, I
AM JEWISH, I AM GENTILE. I AM FROM EVERY PLACE I HAVE EVER BEEN
OR SEEN OR HEARD OF OR LIGHTLY GRAZED MY HAND ACROSS AS I CARESSED
AN ATLAS. I AM YOUR TWIN. I AM GAY, I AM STRAIGHT. I HAVE FELT
AND KNOWN DEEPLY EVERY TEMPTATION, BOTH DARK AND LIGHT, AND
I HAVE CONCLUDED WHAT YOU HAVE AND THEN, LIKE YOU, WONDERED
THE WISDOM OF THAT CONCLUSION. I AM FRIGHTENED, I AM GIDDY,
I AM MYSTIFIED, I AM ENLIGHTENED, I AM ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN I
AM NOT WHAT OTHERS THINK I AM. I MUCH PREFER HAVING SOMEONE
DISAPPOINT ME OVER DISAPPOINTING SOMEONE. I WOULD RATHER HAVE
MY HEART BROKEN THAN TO BREAK SOMEONE’S HEART. I’D
RATHER HAVE WILL THAN LUCK. I HATE CAPITULATION. I LEARN EVERYTHING
THE HARD WAY. I HAVE BEEN UNBELIEVABLY STUPID. I’M HAUNTED.
I’M OPTIMISTIC, AND I’M OPEN-MINDED TO A FAULT.
I AM RIDDLED WITH FAULTS, BUT I DO TRY. I AM REALIZED BY ONE
PARTICULAR PERSON, BUT I AM ACTUALIZED BY EVERY PERSON I’VE
EVER MET. YOU HAVE MADE ME, YOU ARE MY REASON FOR BEING, AND
I THANK YOU.
After reading this philosophical reflection on what it means
to be a coyote in a Pierson work, it becomes impossible not
to relate to the transcendent qualities of his fanciful “dogs.”
The artist, however, believes that successful art has nothing
to do with subject in particular, and encourages his audiences
never to give up on pursuing personal achievements. “For
any budding artists out there seeking my advice I would simply
say this – never give up, out-work everyone else, and
don’t be afraid to take risks,” says Pierson, “I
hang on to the elements I believe in and toss the rest, continually
developing and growing. In this way I feel I follow the paths
of the greats, even if I am painting coyotes in suits. Your
vehicle may be the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile – but it doesn’t
mean your destination can’t be a great one.”
Click
for Art of England Article
LETTER FROM MARKUS
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She Lingers
Serigraph on paper
35 x 25
The Story Behind the Image
Staying past the sunset, past the end of the evening, on into
the night and its’ many mysteries. She is strong, very,
and unafraid to face those mysteries. She looks out across her
horizon. She has but one wish; for love to rain down upon her,
to cover her completely and hold fast, to stay strong over time…and
I will. There is no mystery there
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Tin Cup
The Story Behind the Image
“A tin cup or a gilded goblet, a hut or a castle, wobbly
bicycles or a Bentley; to wherever and by whatever means, my
love, our journey is splendid, our cup is full.”
A tin cup can’t help but conjure up another time…a
decade defined by hardship. This icon of the Great Depression
has been part of our collective conscience for 75 years. Our
Coyote lovers cling to each other as they freely toss the frills
of their dreams into a tin cup. Together they portray what it
means to truly love one another and, therefore, express the
values to hold dear in relationships.
Mixed Media Graphic
Image Size: 51.75 " x 26 "
55 Arabic Numbers
5 Artist Proofs
NEW
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A Renaissance
The Story Behind the Image
The caption reads: “A Renaissance, one awaits you, if
only you apply the pearls of wisdom you already know. The painting
depicts a blue coyote, blindfolded and winged, stepping carefully
down a slippery hill, unaware of the proximity of guiding angels.
One holds out the pearl, a reminder to trust instincts and apply
wisdom as you make the journey. Can you find sure footing? Can
you catch yourself if you begin to fall? What do you sense from
your environment? A quickening of the spirit as you realize
your progress has in turn become, a renaissance.”
Mixed media on board
51" x 25"
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Red Sky Blue Heart
My days, like spent rose petals, escape my grasp and fill my
sky. Love remains my unknown sanctuary, thus my long journey
continues, wandering apace with my 2 consant conpanions: My
red sky and my blue heart
Hand-Pulled Serigraph on Canvas
44” x 21”
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WIND OF CHANGE
The Story Behind the Image
No more waiting for fate to befall me, no. I have my dreamboat,
and together we will find our destiny, choose our ladder to
the sky.
Mixed media on board
46" x 24"
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Desert Flower
The Story Behind the Image
Wispy thoughts of white picket fences and scented love letters,
comparisons to circus riders and sappy movies, something excruciatingly
painful to wait for; this is how her friends saw love. To them,
love was like a prize-winning flower poised in a greenhouse
– lovely, fragrant, perfect in every regard. They pitied
her, for, to them, her romantic life seemed like an empty horizon.
Maybe so, but she wasn’t looking for what her friends
were. She thought of love not as a greenhouse flower, but as
a desert flower’ robust, adaptable, not needy, and tough
as hell to kill. She wanted that and only that, or nothing at
all. For her, the wait was easy.
Mixed media on board
46" x 24"
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Road Dog
The Story Behind the Image
The story on the painting reads, "Down from the north
he came, Pete the Road Dog, misunderstood and resolute, certain
in his belief that all the world, every inch of it, called to
him. Half Coyote and half Aussie Heeler, no living thing had
ever been so utterly determined to live a life wild and free,
unfettered and unbound. No Man that met him ever felt friendless
again, no coyotess who kissed him ever looked into the sunset
the same again for he was all of Life's bold adventures bundled
and rolled into a singular hide. As he passed by, lions bowed
their heads, road crews broke into song, Ducatis moaned, Ferarris
wept, marathoners stopped mid-race to gawk, champion race drivers
handed over their keys, boats hugged the closest shore, herds
of gazelles stared at his feet, generals saluted, and the Great
Nuvolari himself winked a knowing wink. The tires of cars so
longed to be with him that they leapt off their cars they were
on and mobbed him. Life both went on forever and was over in
a flash for the Road Dog: He's gone on now, but his spirit only
grows stronger. For any adventure you may choose to go on, wherever
it might be and with whomever you may desire as a companion,
you can feel the air from the laughter of the spirit of Pete,
the Road Dog. It is what makes the hair on the back of your
neck stand on end. Go Pete go! "
Mixed media on board
36" x 60"
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King Maker
The Story Behind the Image
For those who understand the power of the right woman behind
her man, Markus offers the King Maker. ‘What would I be
without you’ and ‘How lucky am I’ are the
questions posed by the artist in this amazing piece.
As a member of the unique Mixed Media Series, the “King
Maker” is created through the fidelity of five artistic
disciplines in order to achieve the lush surfaces and dimensional
components of the work. Included are silkscreen printmaking,
digital printmaking, hand-painting, cast resin sculpture and
fine carpentry.
Through Markus’s own words, the story is written on painting
as follows.
“A sea of admiring eyes, a river of flowering words spoken
by would-be suitors, the burden of too much choice – this
she must bear. If she had never laid eyes on me her life would
still have been rich, for she was born a King Maker. Difficult
to impress, disdainful of false praise or modesty, so keenly
aware of the heights I could reach if I truly set my mind to
it. She is both the storm and the shelter from it, the sentencing
judge and the ‘get out of jail free’ card, a stiff
kick on my backside and a comforting smile of understanding.
A life all on her own or with some other fella would be full
and proud, but lucky me – I hold the key, I wear the crown.”
Mixed media on board
35" x 30"
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Village Idiot (set of 4)
The Story Behind the Image
This Serigraph is four separate images. By placing all four
images in a cube, you see the full scope of the painting. Even
more interesting is when laying the images out horizontally,
it tells the same story, but reveals quite a different painting.
What we perceive as clouds suddenly become the ground. It’s
really wonderful and unique.
The captions read:
Panel-1) “Without a word spoken, I cast my lost to the
vagaries of the sky. They think me a fool, The village Idiot’.
But what I sought did not exist on trodden soil. You took wing,
and thus, so did I.”
Panel-2) “I encounter other dreamers. They are fearless,
and yet they fear for me, for my dream is so uncertain and I
chase it without caution. My Dream, you see, is you, my heart
yours for the taking… or the breaking.”
Panel-3) “Oh, the height, the sight, the bright white
sky light that is you. My faith blind, all-consuming. You seem
unattainable, but I know no other way. It is you and I, or I
am as the dust that blows.”
Panel-4) “My heart, falling as if dropped from the sky,
it’s fate uncertain. I, the town, all wondering the same
thing; will you cradle this heart, crown me king? Or am I, indeed,
the village idiot. Either way-no regrets, coyote.”
Lithograph on paper
16" x 16" each image
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Know Limit
The Story Behind the Image
This inimitable image entices us to question what we think
are life's limits challenges us to push past them, insisting
that we strive to reach our potential. The piece reads:
“Like everyone else I was told my future had no limit.
While it was true for some, for myself - I knew better. So instead
I simply set out to find it. And once I had, to push against
it and try my best to move it. More like a bull than an eagle,
just stubbornly plodding along. Looking back now, I can't believe
what I've done, where I've been. So I say to you these two simple
words; not no limit - but KNOW LIMIT.”
Lithograph on paper
29" x 46"
SOLD
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Wheels of Life
The Story Behind the Image
The Wheels of Life is Markus Pierson’s first serigraph
to incorporate the artist’s “found-objects”,
one of the most sought after elements of Pierson’s original
paintings and sculpture.
Here, the weathered gears from a vintage motorcycle form a
playful metaphor for our lives. The gears are a reminder that
nothing lasts forever and that what was once new will eventually
weather. The Wheels of Life is a call to action, a compelling
tap on the shoulder to find life’s open road and pursue
our dreams. Life’s wheels and gears may continue to turn;
however, it is where we choose to ride them that will determine
the direction of our lives.
Under the wonderful found object Markus writes: “Gears
are all around us. They are the wheels of life. Those in a clock
mark the passage of time. Others, like, say, those places in
a V-twin engine do just the opposite. They free us from time.
Wonderful!”
Those that know Markus, know his love of the Matchless emblem.
Here is it displayed prominently on the front fender. It can
also be found on an amazing sculpture titled “Midnight
Rider”. I encourage you to view this piece as well. I
think you’ll love it!
Serigraph on board
32" x 24.5"
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The Dreamer
From his days as a terminally ill accountant, to a starving
billboard painter, and now to a museum exhibition of his “dogs
in suits”, Markus Pierson is living proof that anything
is possible if we push beyond and know that our lives are boundless.
Markus’s words found on the painting read: “I knew
they were laughing. I knew they thought it wouldn’t work.
No matter. For by simply daring to make it I had cast myself
from their lot. I was a dreamer.”
Mixed media on board
41.5" x 24"
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Seeds
The Story Behind the Image
The caption reads, “I see now, that the moments and fragments
of my life return to the soil, like the seeds of a flower. The
bigger the day, the better the seed. I know that precious few
will take root and grow into something lasting, but I see my
days for what they truly are, not one moment or fragment too
soon.”
The artwork conveys the realization that moments or fragments
of days leave in their passing, a legacy of energy, intent,
and accomplishment, causing, in hindsight, to give thought to
improved foresight.
Mixed media on board
35" x 45"
SOLD
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The Optimist (Sculpture)
The Story Behind the Image
“The Optimist” takes us on a search for the perfect
companion - a love that is flawless and shines like the perfect
pear. But wait, as the coyote reaches for the pear he sees all
the idiosyncrasies, bruises, dents, and flaws that are the essence
of a unique individual. The search for perfection leaves broken
hearts in its path. True beauty lies within the imperfections
of the human condition. In the same way a perfect pear would
look unnatural so too would a person without the imprints of
their life's journey.
Cold Cast Resin
12H x 14W x 19D
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Midnight Rider (Sculpture)
The Story Behind the Image
Wanderlust. The call to adventure of the open road. The Coyote
rides again. Yes, the Midnight Rider.
As told by Markus , the story of this second sculpture in the
motorcycle series is: “The Midnight Rider, deep into the
mystery he wanders, bound for the familiar comforts of the wild
unknown. Traveling by many, known by few, he drifts across the
landscape like a warm summer breeze. Long may you run, Midnight
Rider, long may you run.”
Sitting atop its hand painted base, Midnight Rider begs us
to experience the joy of freedom. Wheels of Life, a two dimensional
motorcycle work makes a wonderful companion for Midnight Rider.
Cold Cast Resin
12H x 14W x 19D
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Gilded Warrior
The Story Behind the Image
What a wonderful way to begin your day with warm thoughts of
that special someone. The “Gilded Warrior”, another
elegant serigraph in the “love” theme is just that
reminder and a must for any Pierson enthusiast. The story reads:
“Morning, and the memory lingers like a cloud up from
my coffee. 8 a.m. and I’m on the run, another gilded warrior
on his way to the battle, girded by an invincible, impenetrable
love. A love a king would envy.”
Serigraph on paper
9" x 48"
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Ship of Fools
The Story Behind the Image
Hand-Pulled Serigraph on Canvas
Image Size: 27.5" x 32"
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Tin Cup
The Story Behind the Image
“A tin cup or a gilded goblet, a hut or a castle, wobbly
bicycles or a Bentley; to wherever and by whatever means, my
love, our journey is splendid, our cup is full.”
A tin cup can’t help but conjure up another time…a
decade defined by hardship. This icon of the Great Depression
has been part of our collective conscience for 75 years. Our
Coyote lovers cling to each other as they freely toss the frills
of their dreams into a tin cup. Together they portray what it
means to truly love one another and, therefore, express the
values to hold dear in relationships.
Mixed Media Graphic
Image Size: 51.75 " x 26 "
55 Arabic Numbers
5 Artist Proofs
NEW
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