Clean Water for the Future

Atlantic Salmon are among the elite of all fish species. They require cold, clean water to live and reproduce. The people who fish for them are among the most pure and distinguished of all anglers. I chose to carve the Atlantic Salmon in the act of spawning to make an environmental statement. I wanted to portray, through their beauty, size and the delicate balance of their continued existence, humankind's responsibility to ensure "Clean Water for the Future."

The two 31" spawning Atlantic Salmon, rocks and fish are carved from basswood.

I began this project with a dream and two blocks of basswood. After roughing out the bodies, I cut them lengthwise down the center. I then hollowed out each half leaving the body walls about 1/2" thick. This was done to lessen the weight and decrease the chance of breaking due to stress. There are about 12,000 scales on each fish and each scale is individually tipped with silver metallic wax. At times while working on this piece I wondered if I would ever finish. I would work for 10 or 12 hours and then, coming in the next morning, not see a noticeable difference. Completing this piece took several hundred hours and was a lesson in perseverance and commitment.