Spawning Salmon. Original 8x8”. Pen and watercolor on paper. Archival prints available.
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Part of the graphic poem series, this illustration depicts spawning salmon. In the autumn, these fish return to their natal stream, having spent 1 to 8 years out at sea. Their navigational skills fine-tuned, though mysterious. It is thought that these magnificent voyagers find their way home through chemical signals, scent, and the sun.
Upon reaching freshwater, their bodies begin to undergo rapid change as they prepare for spawning. They stop eating. They use energy from their own fat reserves, muscles, and organs to fuel their journey. Only their reproductive organs are spared from deterioration, remaining fully functional and healthy. Ultimately, upon spawning, male and female salmon die, providing abundant nutrients back into the stream and surrounding habitat. In the stream bed, embryos in their fertilized eggs develop over the winter season, readying to hatch in the spring. A new cycle is born.
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