There is a long history of activism in art. My large-scale landscape painting is headed in that direction lately, but I’ve long been frustrated I haven’t been able to advocate more broadly for things I care about through my work. 

Salmon and steelhead face innumerable challenges, from conditions in the ocean to a warming planet, to the migration barriers created by innumerable dams. Many dams have helped power the development of the PNW, but times change, new energy resources develop, and dams live out their useful life. The lower four dams on the Snake River generate insignificant power, bury spawning habitat under the reservoirs, warm the water of the Snake and Columbia rivers to levels intolerable to salmon and steelhead, and restrict the movement of smolts to the ocean and adult salmon returning.

As has been seen on both the Elwha and Klamath Rivers, dams can be removed to restore rivers.

The basis of printmaking is multiple impressions of an image. A woodcut is carved into one surface, then printed onto another. And depending on the paper, the prints can be shown and used in various ways.

With Our Rivers Are Paved, we would like to install schools of Chinook Salmon, up and down the Columbia River, to educate the general public about the loss of salmon, and build support for dam removal beyond the fishing community.

To make these installations possible, we need two things: locations and funding. If you know of a potential location that is publicly available for viewing and has high traffic, and potentially interested and supportive property owners, please let us know.

To support this work directly, buying a print will help cover scouting, printing, travel, and installation expenses. Prints are available here: www.richardcharrington.com/store/our-rivers-are-paved-first-painting

Finally, if you are interested in sponsoring an installation, we’d love to have your support. I can be reached at: richard@richardcharrington.com

With Our Rivers are Paved, we would like to help make change, for the better, for salmon, for rivers, and for all of us.