This painting was inspired by a profound experience with a gray whale.  

 My friend was surfing along the Washington coast and while floating in the water, he saw the colossal back of a gray whale breach feet away from his surfboard. He experienced awe and terror simultaneously. His mortality and significance in the universe drifted through his mind as he watched the white mist settle into the air while birds soared around the giant body of the beast. 

 The vastness of the whale's body in contrast with the human's, emphasizes the overwhelming pressure we can experience in our lives. In this modern, technologically advanced world, there are endless possibilities and anyone can achieve anything if they try. This realization is embodied in the composition of the painting using color, light and shadow. The whale, water, sky and phases of the moon remind us that we are only human and thus, bound to the cycles of life

Gouache on paper.

12 x 16 in.

Sale does not include frame.