By Britt Freda
I had an opportunity to talk with NWAAE artist Gabriel Newton, after the Tribute to the Orca event at the Seattle Aquarium where 17 paintings from his SUPER POD collection were exhibited for the event. I caught up with him before he headed out for 6 days on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, in the headwaters of the Snake River.
Gabriel starts our conversation about his inspiration for creating this collection with a story of sea kayaking back from the Gulf Islands to Roche Harbor. Nearing Roche Harbor, he recounts an encounter with a Super Pod of 23 Southern Residents. “Orcas were surfacing 6 feet from my kayak. I could see them spinning as they passed under me. That experience made me feel so kindred with them. That was about 20 years ago—before I knew the full gravity of their situation.”
On the Move
J-44, J57, J-46, J-53 & J-47
2023 - Acrylic on Found Wood - 91” x 12”
With a bit more inquiry about the time between that profound encounter near Roche Harbor and the inspiration to begin this series, Gabriel continues his story, “Over time, I learned more about how dire their situation is. My brother, Luke, and I were brainstorming ideas about what I could do to help them. It was his idea to paint all of the orcas in the Super Pod. I started painting this series about 4 or 5 years ago. And 5 have died in the course of creating this project.” That sentence lands hard for me. I can hear grief in Gabriel’s voice. After a natural moment of silence, Gabriel tells me his newest project is a series of paintings of all of the Southern Residents who have died in the past 10 years. “I am painting them semi-translucent as ghost orcas to give a sense of them disappearing. There are about 26 in the past 10 years. This piece of the project is even harder emotionally to paint, to spend that kind of time with deceased whale after deceased whale.” I linger on the knowing of what it feels like to paint families of orcas, to spend heart-felt time learning their matrilineal lines, family relations, and identifying markings. And then for all of us who care deeply for this family, to grieve an average of 1-3 deaths each year.
Our conversation circles back to this Super Pod collection of paintings. “When painting the orcas, I painted them in [familial] groups. I incorporated family members with the hope that people would consider their own immediate family members. Per usual, the Indigenous people of this region have said it best, as they refer to them as ‘our relations below the waves.’”
Circle of Life
K-34, K-20, K-38, K-27, K-44
2023 - Acrylic on Found Wood - 53 1/2” x 47”
Gabriel explains a little bit about his compositional approach to the series. Not wanting to paint each orca from the side with eye patch, saddle patch and dorsal fin profiled, he explained “it was more approachable and interesting to me, and more compelling, to view them from below and from positions that they see each other. The found driftwood [the paintings are on] is similar to sea glass. What was originally a natural material, a tree, was transformed for a different purpose. Then somehow it ended up back in the sea—returned to a natural environment—where it was tumbled, edges softened. Wood grain mimics water. These pieces of found wood are artifacts from the waters that the Southern Residents live in and feed in.”
The upcoming exhibit at the A/NT Gallery at Seattle Center will hang from July 30 – August 22. This will be the first time the entire Super Pod collection of paintings will be publicly exhibited together (see details below). I ask what Gabriel hopes people will experience when they stand in the gallery surrounded by all 74 Southern Residents. “I want people to be able to relate to them as individuals, as well as a collective of all of the Southern Residents. To be with them all in one room creates a palpable sense of how few of them are left. I hope that experience motivates people to take any action they can.”
“Every time a thread in the web of life is broken, our own capacity to thrive is diminished. Orcas and salmon are both very integral threads.” – Gabriel Newton
Dreaming of June Hogs
J-36, Alki
2022 - Acrylic on Found Wood - 36” x 22”
Gabriel’s website, gabrielnewton.com, is broad-reaching with engaging, moving artwork, beautiful metal forging, delicious-looking bread, and soulful exploratory adventure—a glimpse into the life work of a complex, diverse artist of many well-honed talents. His site also offers an educational overview of the importance of dam removal, complete with a petition and actionable items.
Gabriel and I, the dedicated SOS team, the many members of the SOS Coalition, salmon and orca supporters, and likely you, dear reader—we find ourselves in a circle of passionate advocates, hopeful changemakers, thought leaders, artists, and Indigenous wisdom. Within that circle, and beyond, I try to ask as often as possible: “From your vantage point, what do you recommend?” It doesn’t take long for Gabriel to answer, “First and foremost it is about moving forward with the removal of the 4 lower Snake River dams so that salmon can recover, and the orcas will again have enough to eat. I hope people will go to the offices of Cantwell and Murray, in person, and talk with an aide. Or if going in person isn’t feasible, call and write a letter. We need to make it pressing to make a move on it. It is going to take all of us to make this happen!” Hence the subtitle of the SUPER POD exhibit: ALL TOGETHER.
After a pause, this free-diver (another of Gabriel’s passions), conceptually dives a little deeper. “In my view humanity is undergoing two very crucial tests at this time. The first test is whether we can collectively identify what is truly important. The second test is whether we can collectively work together to protect what is most important. Life systems are important, salmon are important, and orcas are important.”
The entire collection of SUPER POD: All Together paintings will be on display at
the A/NT Gallery Seattle Center from July 30th - August 22nd.
Show Opening: August 1st, 6pm-8pm.
Art Performance Night: August 22nd, 6pm-8pm.
Exhibits supported in part by Endangered Species Coalition, Sierra Club, Earth Ministry, Se’Si’Le & Northwest Artists Against Extinction.
K-21, RIP
2023 - Acrylic on Found Wood - 37” x 68” x 2”
