Doug Coffin

Doug Coffin grew up on the grounds of Haskell Institute, an Indian boarding school (now Haskell Indian Nations University) in Lawrence, Kansas, where his father was the school’s head coach. As a young boy he was surrounded by Native Americans of many tribes and traditions. The pride and beautiful craftsmanship of the Pow-Wow costumes and art, along with his own Potowatomi and Creek heritage, inspired him to become an artist.

After receiving a BFA from the University of Kansas and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Sculpture and Jewelry, Coffin has had a successful career, including the acquisition of his artwork in more than forty public collections. Also, he boasts six global placements through the Art in Embassies program.

Coffin has developed a style that suggest a fusion of the ancient totemic forms used by many Native cultures with the abstract and geometric forms of modernism, creating a visual language that relies less on narrative storyline and more on powerful design metaphors.

“Much of my work is inspired by the male and female energy. As an artist, I use symbols -numeric and geometric- to represent these most powerful elements of life and the universe. My art is about contrast, both time and space. What interests me is the images that remain in the mind long after the reality is gone”.