Created after spending six weeks exploring Alaska, Fresh Catch celebrates one of the region’s most iconic relationships: bears and salmon.
As Alaska’s bears prepare for winter, salmon become an essential source of the calories and fat they need to survive months of hibernation. I wanted to capture one small moment in that annual cycle: a successful bear emerging from the cold water with its prize.
Loose washes of blue and gray create the movement of the river, while the bear’s dark form anchors the composition and the warm flash of the salmon becomes the focal point. Watercolor and expressive ink marks keep the scene fluid, wild, and slightly unpredictable, much like the landscape that inspired it.
Fresh Catch is part of my growing Alaska Collection, inspired by the wildlife and landscapes I’ve encountered over ten visits to Alaska, including six weeks spent traveling there in 2026.
See the painting process here: https://youtube.com/shorts/CfX1vk5A2Xo?feature=share
Fresh Catch
Watercolor and ink on paper, 2026
Created after spending six weeks exploring Alaska, Fresh Catch celebrates one of the region’s most iconic relationships: bears and salmon.
As Alaska’s bears prepare for winter, salmon become an essential source of the calories and fat they need to survive months of hibernation. I wanted to capture one small moment in that annual cycle: a successful bear emerging from the cold water with its prize.
Loose washes of blue and gray create the movement of the river, while the bear’s dark form anchors the composition and the warm flash of the salmon becomes the focal point. Watercolor and expressive ink marks keep the scene fluid, wild, and slightly unpredictable, much like the landscape that inspired it.
Fresh Catch is part of my growing Alaska Collection, inspired by the wildlife and landscapes I’ve encountered over ten visits to Alaska, including six weeks spent traveling there in 2026.
See the painting process here: https://youtube.com/shorts/CfX1vk5A2Xo?feature=share