A humpback whale looks at the viewer while bursting out of the water in the start of a breach. While this abstract nature acrylic painting was started near Lake Cowichan, it was completed in my Victoria, BC studio.

Looking closer at this humpback whale acrylic painting, the blue and magenta abstract brushwork shows through under the whale. The humpback's huge pectoral flipper is arcing out of the water as it keeps an eye on us. Humpbacks have the largest pectoral flippers of any whale, around a third of their body length.

The top left of this detailed abstract acrylic painting darkens with purple and blue presenting a night sky with clouds moving over it. The whale flipper uses the light blue splashes of paint behind it as the head of the humpback moves upwards and right.

I started this abstract detailed painting as a quick action painting where I mixed blues and purples before splattering reds over top. Painting with acrylics I add layers after the abstract artwork, like the clouds going up into the sky on the left.

A close up photo of the most important part of whale wall art: the eye! The humpback whale shown in this acrylic painting has an eyes that are the same size as a cow's. Humpbacks are colour blind and their vision sees far few detail than a human can.

This realistic humpback whale painting required many hours invested in details like the ventral pleats, the grooves along the jaw that greatly expand during feeding. The bumps on the rostrum (upper jaw) and lower mandible are called tubercles. Each tubercle contains one hair, like whale whiskers.

Blue paint splatters showing through the background of this whale painting, making for cool abstract art. The ocean horizon starts on the right with a bright yellow sky with clouds that turn dramatic dark with rain as the horizon curves up and to the left. By showing the ocean horizon through the whale I'm suggesting the humpback and the sea are interconnected.

This large abstract acrylic painting was part of the show “Above and Below” with photographer Craig Golby at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre in Duncan, BC on Vancouver Island. While I would rather show my art than myself, I love this painting so I couldn't help stepping in for a quick selfie.

This abstract whale wall art was painted for the exhibition “Above and Below” with photographer Craig Golby. Shown at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre in Duncan, BC, viewers can see Craig’s inspirational photographs of humpback whales side by side with my painting that was influenced by them.