Janie Wray, Whale Researcher

Acrylic, oil pastel, upcycled fabric scraps, hand-dyed silk on unstretched raw canvas,  foraged wood.  73.5” x 81”

From the “Voices for the Wild” series: Janie Wray is a project leader at the Save Our Seas Foundation researching whales. From localising whale calls underwater to monitoring their behaviour from land and sea, Janie hopes for better protection for BC’s whales. Although it is nearly impossible to imagine this many whales all together in one place, Janie sent me the photos (that she herself took) on which this painting is based: multiple humpback whales breaching the water, their magnificent blows pluming above them, with evergreens in the background. The majesty of these whales, the richness of the dark blue and green hues reflected into the water, and the denseness of the tree cover is awe-inspiring.