"Beloved" 12x16 giclee paper print
I started this piece at Beloved festival in the summer of 2018. Up in the Pacific Northwest of Washington State there had been a major news story unfolding in the daily headlines: a mother orca whale had given birth to a live baby after many unsuccessful births before. This one was born alive but died soon afterwards. The mother, known as J35, or Tahlequah carried her dead calf on her nose for 17 days in a grieving ritual. Perhaps this was meant to make the world aware of a problem that needed attention.
This painting was made for her and to help call attention to the orcas struggles. Amazingly, on the second day I was working on this painting at the festival, J35 released her calf finally and moved on. It was an emotional piece for many of the festival goers who witnessed me painting this.
Years later in 2025, Tahlequah apparently repeated the grieving ritual again when she lost a new calf, but this time she didn't carry it as long.
Signed
*watermark will not appear on print