---
title: Community Connections - Artists of Coyote Valley
description: Meet three local artists who are using Coyote Valley as creative inspiration
image: https://news.openspaceauthority.org/hubfs/coyote%20valley.edward.%20Oct19.jpg
---

# Community Connections - Artists of Coyote Valley

Back to Home

![coyote valley.edward. Oct19](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/hubfs/coyote%20valley.edward.%20Oct19.jpg)

*Community Connections highlights the many leaders, partners, and neighbors who make a difference in our community. This month we are featuring Obi Kaufmann, Donald Neff, and Edward Rooks, three artists finding creative inspiration in Coyote Valley.*

Throughout human history, nature has inspired art of all kinds. Today, landscapes and wildlife in our communities continue to move local artists to create. In the San Francisco Bay Area, one artistic muse in particular is the breathtaking Coyote Valley.

“Coyote Valley is a great example of ‘wild California,’” said Oakland-based author, illustrator, and naturalist, [Obi Kaufmann](https://coyoteandthunder.com/). Kaufmann is the author of the best-selling California Field Atlas, a guide to the state's ecology, featuring hundreds of his watercolor paintings of maps, wildlife, and other aspects of nature, as well as The State of Water – Understanding California’s Most Precious Resource.

Earlier this year, Kaufmann worked with the Open Space Authority to create a series of five watercolor paintings featuring 20 plants and animals in different habitats in Coyote Valley.

![Laguna Seca-1](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Laguna%20Seca-1.jpg?width=2000&name=Laguna%20Seca-1.jpg)Obi Kaufmann*, A Restored Laguna Seca (2019),* Watercolor

Kaufmann says the Coyote Valley offers our region the chance to promote sustainable habitats that support rare and endangered species, right there in the city limits of San Jose. “It’s still there for us to protect,” he said. “News often puts focus on all the ways we have ‘messed up’ native habitats… but here in Coyote Valley we still have a chance to save much of it,” citing past successful restoration work in the region, including the Laguna Seca wetland.

Another artist is using Coyote Valley both as a creative prompt and opportunity to share the importance of protecting these natural landscapes. San Jose-based artist [Donald Neff](http://www.donaldneff.com/blog/) recently launched the [“Preserve Coyote Valley Quest,”](http://www.donaldneff.com/blog/the-coyote-war/) a year-long effort to paint one work per month depicting scenes around the valley.

![donald neff coyote valley](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/hs-fs/hubfs/donald%20neff%20coyote%20valley.jpg?width=864&name=donald%20neff%20coyote%20valley.jpg)Donald Neff*, Foggy Farming (2019),* Oil on canvas

“People don’t know the history of this region,” says Neff. “This is the last farmland around here, I think it should be preserved as long as we can keep it wild or in use for farming.” He’s currently about halfway through this project and has captured images of the valley’s rolling hills, dramatic cloud formations, and scenes of agriculture, including aging barns and ruins of a historic winery. He plans to do a mix of on-location outdoor paintings, as well as studio works.

![nefftsoyoteIw](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/hs-fs/hubfs/nefftsoyoteIw.jpg?width=864&name=nefftsoyoteIw.jpg)*Donald Neff painting at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve*

This is not the first time Neff has embarked on such a creative quest. Back in 2013, the artist completed a one-year project called [“The Creeks and Rivers of Silicon Valley,”](http://www.donaldneff.com/creeks.html)painting one image per week of the Santa Clara Valley and Peninsula region’s hidden and lesser-known creeks and riverbeds. This time around he’ll be re-visiting a favorite subject of his, [Coyote Creek](http://www.donaldneff.com/blog/june-coyote-creek/). “It’s actually a river, and the largest watershed in the Santa Clara Valley,” he says, commending the many conservation groups that are working to clean up and restore the watershed as a place where steelhead trout and other native species can once again thrive.

On a personal level, Neff enjoys the opportunity to explore and learn about our community that that creative quests like this provide. “The ‘Creeks and Rivers’ project took me all over the county,” he said, from Montgomery Hill, where the first controlled air flight happened (pre-Wright Brothers) to the Guadalupe River, where he learned about the family of beavers that lives in this waterway right in downtown San Jose.

Other local artists make it part of their professional mission to share that joy of discovery in the hopes that it will inspire conservation.

![CoyoteValley2_PleinAirWatercolor_Rooks2019](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/hs-fs/hubfs/CoyoteValley2_PleinAirWatercolor_Rooks2019.jpg?width=6000&name=CoyoteValley2_PleinAirWatercolor_Rooks2019.jpg)Edward Rooks*, Coyote Valley (2019),* Watercolor  

“My role as an artist is to communicate the importance of nature, the wonder of nature, and the beauty of exploration,” says local artist and art instructor, [Edward Rooks](http://www.kristiconley.com/rooksart/). For more than a decade, Rooks has taught nature drawing and painting workshops in the Bay Area, Costa Rica, Trinidad, and Antarctica, and programs hosted by the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, Stanford University, and Santa Clara University.

![ed rooks coyote valley](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/hs-fs/hubfs/ed%20rooks%20coyote%20valley.jpg?width=1600&name=ed%20rooks%20coyote%20valley.jpg)Edward Rooks*, Coyote Valley (2016),* Acrylic 

“I’ve always loved the Coyote Valley and have supported efforts to protect it from the very beginning,” he said. He believes spaces adjacent to urban areas like Coyote Valley are important for preservation because they have such a significant role in wildlife movement and provide the opportunity for people to immerse themselves in and learn about nature.

Over the past year, Rooks has been working with the Open Space Authority to teach *plein air*  (on-location outdoor painting) workshops in our local parks and open space preserves.

Top Photo Credit: Edward Rooks at Coyote Valley Open Space Preserve - Elaine Goldstone

November 06, 2019

## Categories

- [Coyote Valley](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/coyote-valley)
- [Urban Open Spaces](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/urban-open-spaces)
- [Wildlife](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/wildlife)
- [Open Space Authority Initiatives](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/open-space-authority-initiatives)
- [Events](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/events)
- [Agriculture](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/agriculture)
- [Green Infrastructure](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/green-infrastructure)
- [Land Acquisitions](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/land-acquisitions)
- [Urban Open Space Corner](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/urban-open-space-corner)
- [Policy](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/policy)
- [Environmental Justice](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/environmental-justice)
- [Community Connections](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/community-connections)
- [Restoration](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/restoration)
- [Staff Spotlight](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/staff-spotlight)
- [Fires](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/fires)
- [30th Anniversary](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/30th-anniversary)
- [Sustainable Agriculture](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/topic/sustainable-agriculture)

## Recent Posts

- [Celebrating Healthy Soils Week](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/healthysoils)
- [Coyote Valley Photo Contest: Meet the People's Choice Winner!](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/openhouseandpeopleschoice)
- [The Negative Impacts of Illegal Dumping](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/illegaldumping)
- [A Silent Spring?](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/earth-day-2024)
- [Staff Spotlight: Matt Freeman](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/matt-freeman)
- [Another Win for Agriculture in Santa Clara County](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/yiu-ace-2024)
- [Message from the General Manager](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/gm-update-2024)
- [Wildlife Grammy Awards](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/wildlife-grammys)
- [Honoring Dr. King's Environmental Legacy](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/dr-kings-environmental-legacy)
- [Wildlife Thesaurus: Top 10 Native Animals with Nicknames](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/blog/wildlife-thesaurus)

*For media inquiries contact:*  
![](https://news.openspaceauthority.org/hubfs/Blog_2017/interface/images/Charlotte-Graham.jpg)

## Charlotte Graham

Public Information Officer  
[cgraham@openspaceauthority.org](mailto:cgraham@openspaceauthority.org)

#### [Preserves](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves.html)

[Coyote Valley](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/coyotevalley.html) [Coyote Ridge](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/coyoteridge.html) [Rancho Cañada del Oro](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/rancho.html) [Sierra Vista](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/sierra.html) [Trail Maps](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/open-space-preserve-trail-maps.html) [Conditions & Guidelines](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/conditions-guidelines.html) [Recreation](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/recreation.html) [Events](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/events.html) [Plants & Animals](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/preserves/plants-animals.html)

#### [Our Work](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/our-work.html)

[Planning Coyote Valley](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/our-work/planning-coyote-valley.html) [Our Projects](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/our-work/conservation-projects.html) [Agriculture](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/our-work/agriculture.html) [Land Protection](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/our-work/land-protection.html) [Land Stewardship](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/our-work/land-stewardship.html)

#### [Programs](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/programs.html)

[Investing in Nature](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/programs/investing-in-nature.html) [Understanding Our Community](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/programs/understanding-our-community.html) [Healthy Community](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/programs/healthy-community.html) [Urban Grant Programs](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/programs/urban-grant-programs.html) [Urban Success Stories](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/programs/urban-success-stories.html) [Environmental Education](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/programs/environmental-education.html)

#### [Volunteers](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/volunteers.html)

[Get Involved](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/volunteers/get-involved.html) [Individuals](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/volunteers/volunteer-opportunities-for-individuals.html) [Youth & Community Groups](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/volunteers/volunteer-opportunities-for-youth-community-groups.html) [Businesses](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/volunteers/volunteer-opportunities-for-businesses-team-building.html) [Acknowledgements](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/volunteers/acknowledgements.html) [Volunteer Login](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/volunteers/volunteer-portal.html)

#### [Public Information](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/public-information.html)

[Board of Directors](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/public-information/board-of-directors.html) [Committees](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/public-information/committees.html) [Governance & Policies](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/public-information/governance-policies.html) [Public Notices](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/public-information/public-notices.html) [Public Meetings](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/public-information/public-meetings.html) [Financials](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/public-information/financials.html) [Year in Review](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/public-information/year-in-review.html) [Document Library](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/public-information/document-library.html) [Public Records Request](https://www.openspaceauthority.org//system/user_files/Documents/OSA%20Public%20Records%20Act%20Request%20Guidelines%20and%20Form.pdf)

#### [About Us](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us.html)

[Goals](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us/goals.html) [Partnerships](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us/partnerships.html) [FAQ](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us/faq.html) [History](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us/history.html) [Awards & Distinctions](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us/awards-distinctions.html) [Staff](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us/staff.html) [Careers](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us/careers.html) [Contact Us](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/about-us/contact-us.html)

[![](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/themes/theme_openspace/assets/images/hubspot/hs_logo_white.png)](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/)

Sign up for the e-newsletter

 Follow Us [![](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/themes/theme_openspace/assets/images/hubspot/hs_facebook2.png)](https://www.facebook.com/openspaceauthority) [![](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/themes/theme_openspace/assets/images/hubspot/hs_instagram.png)](https://www.instagram.com/open_space_authority) [![](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/themes/theme_openspace/assets/images/hubspot/hs_twitter.png)](https://twitter.com/OpenSpaceSCC) [![](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/themes/theme_openspace/assets/images/hubspot/hs_flickr.png)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/scvopenspaceauthority) [![](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/themes/theme_openspace/assets/images/hubspot/hs_youtube.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-rSPy2X6LLMxkhmMVGMFpA)

© 2021 All Rights Reserved.   
Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority

[Terms of use](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/terms-of-use.html) [Privacy Policy](https://www.openspaceauthority.org/privacy-policy.html)

[Web design by Intechnic](http://www.intechnic.com/)