Our Rivers Are Paved, woodcut

I first heard about the giant chinook of the Columbia River when I was a child growing up in the PNW. Pictures in magazines and fishing books showed men struggling to hoist fish nearly as large as themselves. A few years ago, while swinging a run on the Deschutes near the end of salmon season, I came across a salmon carcass, one amongst dozens, but this one was a colossus. Not the salmon of old, but clearly the largest I’d ever seen. And it occurred to me, that folks might need to see the fish, actual size. To see what we’d lost. I checked with a friend, a fisheries biologist, on the historical dimensions of the huge salmon. When I came across the words from the poet Tom Crawford, the idea came together. The fish, some of the barriers they face, and the possibility of dam removal on the Snake River- the four dams printed in red. As so often happens, our motivations got ahead of our ability to see all possible impacts. It was done with the best of intentions, and that same intention can lead us to solutions. For salmon, for the environment, and for us.

Paper size of 31 x 68 inches. Image is a hand carved and pulled woodcut print, in an edition of 100. Printed on Rives BFK paper, in two Gamblin inks, in cooperation with Atelier Meridian in Portland, OR. Price includes $50.00 for packing, shipping and insurance in the US. Email for inquiries about shipping estimates to other countries.

Each print will include a certificate of authenticity.