Guardians of the Salish Sea: An Eagle and Orcas Painting

I paint in series. More often than not, a single painting is only the beginning of a story. Much like storyboarding for a film, I typically create four or five paintings around a particular theme or narrative. When a new idea takes hold, it often requires more than one canvas to fully express where the work is leading me.

This new painting comes on the heels of a distinctly West Coast commission I recently completed for a client. That work featured sea lions and a raven along the shoreline, capturing the spirit of the Pacific coast through a palette of blues, greens, greys, and touches of yellow. It was a painting driven by intuition and feeling, and when it was finished, I found myself reflecting on how much my West Coast home has been influencing my work.

Following a recent move to Parksville, and fresh from a series of beach shell paintings, I have been spending more time immersed in the rhythms of coastal life. Typically, I spend much of the year travelling across Canada gathering inspiration, but this year has been different. The move encouraged me to slow down, settle in, and absorb my surroundings. The ocean, the shoreline, and the abundance of local wildlife have gradually seeped into my consciousness and found their way onto the canvas.

This brings me to Guardians of the Salish Sea, a painting that celebrates life on Canada’s Pacific coast. Every year, orcas and eagles make their presence known here. They are apex predators, powerful symbols of the wild, and in many ways feel like guardians of the coastline. To visitors arriving on Vancouver Island, they can seem like a welcoming committee, embodying the strength, beauty, and mystery of the region.

Surprisingly, despite years of painting Canadian subjects, I had never painted either eagles or orcas. It felt like the right moment to add them to my growing body of work exploring the Canadian experience. Living in Parksville has brought me closer to the natural world than ever before. Here, I am only steps away from the ocean and the constant activity of wildlife, where every walk offers the possibility of an unexpected encounter. This painting expresses those experiences and celebrates them. It carries a strong Pacific Northwest spirit, rooted in the landscape and wildlife that define Canada’s West Coast. The eagle and orcas feel less like separate subjects and more like guardians sharing the same territory, connected by the waters and skies they inhabit.

In many Indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest, both the eagle and the orca hold profound significance. The eagle is often associated with vision, wisdom, strength, and a connection between the earthly and spiritual worlds. The orca symbolizes family, protection, intelligence, and community. Together, they represent a balance of power and stewardship, qualities that resonate deeply within the coastal environment they call home. For me, Guardians of the Salish Sea is both a celebration of place and a reflection of a personal shift. It marks a period of slowing down, paying closer attention to my surroundings, and embracing the landscape just outside my door. As I continue to explore this new chapter of coastal living, I suspect the ocean and its inhabitants will continue to appear in my work, carrying their stories onto future canvases. The Canadian story is not only found in our cities, highways, and cultural icons. It is also written in the tides, the forests, and the creatures that have shaped this land for generations. Guardians is my tribute to that enduring connection.

An Eagle and Orcas Painting – Add it to your collection

Guardians of the Salish Sea captures a moment of connection between land, sea, and sky, embodying the enduring spirit of Canada’s Pacific coastline. Rich in symbolism and atmosphere, this original painting is designed to be lived with and enjoyed for years to come. If the imagery, story, and energy of the West Coast resonate with you, I invite you to view the painting and explore its details. Original works such as this become part of a collector’s own story, serving as a lasting reminder of the beauty, power, and wonder of the Canadian coast.