Jim Coates

Artist Jim Coates moved to Miami, Arizona, some 18 years ago. He lived in San Francisco, Alaska and New York before that. Along the way, he painted, did sculpture, taught school and ran the Jim Coates Gallery on Miami’s Sullivan Street.

He enjoyed Arizona’s mountain retreats as well. He hiked and camped in the state’s most scenic hideaways. Often near streams. Often places vibrant with color. Always a dog by his side. First Randy, then Sienna.

Jim captured his travels in his art. He painted streams running through woods of green firs and trees bright with red and yellow fall foliage. Some of his landscapes had small surprises, like a ladybug floating downstream on a leaf. He painted a series on endangered species, including one of a small colorful frog facing extinction.

James Harvey Coates put down his brush last year. He was diagnosed with cancer. He died on June 10, 2025, at his home in Miami.

He was born in Phoenix on Dec. 10, 1946. His father, Harvey, was an Air Force officer. Wherever he was stationed, the family followed. Jim and his older sister Christine spent a year in Aidak, Alaska, along with their mother, Virginia. A younger brother, Bill, and sister, Cathy, joined them later – in Cheyenne, Wyoming; Japan; Lincoln, Nebraska; Guam; and Bellevue, Nebraska, before Harvey retired to Phoenix, where he grew up.

Jim graduated from Phoenix North High School in 1964, then attended Arizona State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art education. He traveled through Europe, then spent the summer of 1969 cutting firebreaks for the U.S. Forest Service. He was drafted into the Army shortly after and assigned to military police.

After discharge, he attended San Francisco Art Institute for a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and the University of Oregon, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts. He also learned lithographic printing at the Tamarind Institute in New Mexico. He later received a Doctor of Arts from New York University. He taught art at middle school in Nanuet, New York, before moving to Miami.

Along with his art gallery, he ran the Studio Cafe, where he served coffee and homemade muffins. Jim brought his wry sense of humor and good cheer to the counter.

He also brought his love of art to Miami, often showing the works of local artists and art students in his gallery. He also hosted open-mic nights, giving the stage to budding musicians. Jim took up the guitar himself, wrote music and recorded several CDs.

Jim is survived by his brother, Bill, and sister, Cathy McGinnity, and his close friend, Sarah Lorraine Woodard. His sister, Christine Friedemann, died in 2022.

Family assisted by Bulman Miles Funeral Services Globe www.BulmanMiles.com.